Sleep monitoring system

ABSTRACT

Sleep systems having embedded sensors are described. In one aspect, a sleep system includes a mattress and one or more force sensors embedded within the mattress. The force sensors are positioned within the mattress to sense movement of an occupant of the mattress. The sleep system also includes one or more processors coupled with the one or more force sensors. At least one of the processors is configured to determine sleep state information for the occupant based on data obtained from one or more of the force sensors.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/368,754, filed Dec. 5, 2016, which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/571,976, filed Dec. 16, 2014 which claimspriority to Canadian Patent Application Number 2,836,431 filed Dec. 16,2013. The contents of these applications are hereby incorporated byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to mattresses and, more particularly, toan intelligent sleep system.

BACKGROUND

Applications have been developed which monitor a user's sleep state.Such applications often operate on mobile devices, such as smartphones,and often require the user to place their mobile device on a mattress inorder for the sleep state to be monitored. Such applications rely on anaccelerometer of the mobile device for sleep state detection.

Such applications are generally limited in their functionality andconvenience. More particularly, a user must remember to set their mobiledevice on their mattress or the application will not track their sleepstate and must ensure that the mobile device is placed at a particularlocation of the mattress or the application will not track their sleepstate.

Additionally, the hardware provided on a mobile device only allowslimited information to be obtained and may suffer from accuracy issues.

Thus there exists a need for methods and systems for monitoring sleepstate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a sleep system in accordance with exampleembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the sleep system of FIG. 1 taken along line2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example sleep system;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of obtaining movement information;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method of determining sleep stateinformation, such as a sleep stage;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method of determining heart rate;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method of determining respiration rate;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method of determining sleep position;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method of detecting a sleep disorder;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method of triggering an alert based onmattress health information;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method of determining sleep environmentinformation; and

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a mobile device in accordance with exampleembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a server in accordance with exampleembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is an example flowchart of a method for generating a displayscreen in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is an example display screen;

FIG. 16 is an example display screen;

FIG. 17 is an example display screen;

FIG. 18 is an example display screen;

FIG. 19 is an example display screen;

FIG. 20 is an example display screen; and

FIG. 21 is an example display screen.

Like reference numerals are used in the drawings to denote like elementsand features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

In one aspect, the present disclosure describes a sleep system. Thesleep system includes a mattress and one or more force sensors embeddedwithin the mattress. The force sensors are positioned within themattress to sense movement of an occupant of the mattress. The sleepsystem also includes one or more processors coupled with the one or moreforce sensors. At least one of the processors is configured to determinesleep state information for the occupant based on data obtained from oneor more of the force sensors.

In another aspect, a sleep system is described which includes a mattressand one or more sensors embedded within the mattress. The sleep systemalso includes an output interface and one or more processors coupledwith the one or more sensors and the output interface. At least one ofthe processors is configured to determine mattress health informationbased on data obtained from one or more of the sensors and to generatean alert via the output interface based on the mattress healthinformation. The sleep system also includes a memory coupled with the atleast one processor.

In yet another aspect, a sleep system is described which includes one ormore sensors embedded within a mattress. The sleep system also includesone or more sensors provided in a peripheral that is external to themattress. The sleep system further includes an output interface and oneor more processors receiving data from the one or more sensors embeddedwithin the mattress and the one or more sensors provided in theperipheral. At least one of the processors is configured to determinesleep environment information based on the data from one or more of thesensors embedded within the mattress and the data from the one or moresensors provided in the peripheral. At least one of the processors isconfigured to generate an output on the output interface based on thesleep environment information.

In yet another aspect, a mobile device is described. The mobile deviceincludes a communication subsystem and a processor coupled with thecommunication subsystem. The mobile device further includes a memorycoupled with the processor. The memory is configured to receive datafrom a sleep system that includes one or more embedded sensors via thecommunication subsystem and to generate one or more display screensbased on the received data.

In yet another aspect, a server is described. The server includes acommunication subsystem and a processor coupled with the communicationsubsystem. The server further includes a memory coupled with theprocessor. The memory is configured to receive data from a sleep systemthat includes one or more embedded sensors via the communicationsubsystem and to generate one or more display screens based on thereceived data.

Other example embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art from a review of the followingdetailed description in conjunction with the drawings.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a top view of an example sleep system 100 inaccordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure isillustrated. The sleep system 100 may, in at least some embodiments, bereferred to as a smart mattress, an intelligent mattress, a sleepinformation tracking assembly or in some cases as simply a mattress.

The sleep system 100 includes a mattress 101. The mattress 101 providessupport for an occupant while sleeping. The mattress 101 may, forexample, be sized according to any one of a plurality of traditionalmattress sizes. For example, in various embodiments the mattress 101 maybe sized according to one of the following standard sizes: crib/toddler,single, twin, double, full, queen, king, wide double, Olympic queen,queen, king, super king, California king, or king long. Dimensionsassociated with these mattresses are readily available and will not belisted exhaustively herein. However, by way of example, in an embodimentin which the mattress is a queen sized mattress, it may have a height of80 inches and a width of 60 inches.

The mattress 101 may be of other sizes apart from those listed above.For example, custom mattress sizes may be used in some embodiments.

The mattress 101 is generally a large pad for supporting a recliningbody (the reclining body is generally referred to herein as theoccupant). The interior of the mattress may be constructed of, forexample, an absorbing layer such as foam and may, in some embodiments,be constructed of a coil.

Occupant Monitoring Sensors

In addition to the mattress, the sleep system 100 includes one or moresensors which may be used for monitoring an occupant of the mattress.These occupant monitoring sensors may include force sensors 120 a-120 h,which may be used to detect movement and positioning of an occupant, abody temperature sensor 122 used to detect a body temperature of anoccupant, and/or a humidity sensor 124 used to detect humidityassociated with an occupant. These sensors will be discussed in greaterdetail below.

Force Sensors

As noted above, the sleep system 100 may include one or more forcesensors 120 a-120 h. The force sensors 120 a-120 h are embedded withinthe mattress 101 in at least some embodiments and are, therefore,illustrated with broken lines in the top view of FIG. 1. In at leastsome embodiments, one or more of the force sensors 120 a-120 h arepositioned within the mattress to sense movement of an occupant of themattress.

To facilitate understanding of the layout of the force sensor 120 a-120h with respect to the mattress 101, the various sides of the mattresshave been labelled in FIG. 1. More specifically, a top side 102 is theside of the mattress 101 which is generally nearest an occupant's headand which may also be nearest a headboard (not shown) of a bed on whichthe mattress rests. A bottom side 104 is opposite the top side 102 andis generally nearest an occupant's feet and which may also be nearest afootboard (not shown) of the bed.

The top side 102 and the bottom side are connected by two generallyparallel sides which may be referred to as a left side 106 and a rightside 108. It will be appreciated that the orientations of sides referredto above describe the mattress in one possible position and theseorientations may change, for example, if the mattress is flipped orrotated.

In the example illustrated, the mattress is sized for concurrent use bytwo occupants (i.e. it is a two-person mattress). For example, themattress 101 may be a queen, king, wide double, Olympic queen, queen,king, super king, California king, king long, or in some cases a full ordouble sized mattress. In such embodiments, a center line 110 may bedefined which is located equidistant from the left side 106 and theright side 108 and which bisects the mattress 101 to divide it into twoequal parts, which may generally be referred to as a left portion 112and a right portion 114. Each of these portions may be associated with aseparate sensor set 150, 152. That is, each of the left portion 112 andthe right portion 114 may be associated with a separate set 150, 152 ofsensors such as a separate set of force sensors 120 a-120 h.

Accordingly, in the example illustrated, there are two sets of sensors—afirst set 150 is located on the left portion 112 of the mattress 101 toobtain data from a first occupant, who sleeps on the left portion 112 ofthe mattress 101, generally near the left side 106. Similarly, a secondset 152 is located on the right portion 114 of the mattress 101 toobtain data from a second occupant, who sleeps on the right portion 114of the mattress 101, generally near the right side 108.

It will be appreciated that, in other embodiments, there may be othersets of sensors included in the mattress instead of or in addition tothe first set 150 and the second set 152 of sensors illustrated inFIG. 1. For example, in some embodiments, the mattress may be sized forsingle occupancy. By way of example, in some such embodiments themattress may be a twin mattress which may be occupied by a singleperson. In such embodiments, the mattress may be equipped with a singleset of sensors. Further, in other embodiments, the mattress 101 may beequipped with more than two sets of sensors. For example, the embodimentof FIG. 1 could additionally include a third set of sensors which may,for example, be disposed in the middle of the mattress. For example, thethird set could be symmetric across the center line 110. This third setcould, for example, be used to obtain data associated with an occupantwhen the mattress (which is large enough to be occupied by two people),is only occupied by a single person who generally sleeps in the centerof the bed.

Each sensor set 150, 152 is used for obtaining data associated with asingle occupant and, in the example illustrated, each sensor set 150,152 includes a plurality of force sensors 120 a-120 b. The force sensors120 a-120 b include one or more force sensors 120 a, 120 b, 120 c thatare generally oriented near an upper body of an occupant. These forcesensors 120 a, 120 b, 120 c may be referred to as upper body forcesensors. These force sensors 120 a, 120 b, 120 c are oriented to capturedata in the vicinity of an occupant's head, shoulder, and/or chestregion. These force sensors 120 a, 120 b, 120 c are generally in anupper third of the mattress 101. In at least some embodiments, one ormore of these upper body force sensors 120 a, 120 b, 120 c are locatedapproximately sixteen to nineteen inches from the top side 102 of themattress 101. In some embodiments, the upper body force sensors 120 a,120 b, 120 c may be located in the range of twelve to twenty-four inchesfrom the top side 102 of the mattress 101.

In the example embodiment illustrated, the upper body force sensors 120a, 120 b, 120 c include three force sensors: a first upper body forcesensor 120 a, a second upper body force sensor 120 b, and a third upperbody force sensor 120 c. The first upper body force sensor 120 a is theleft-most upper body force sensor in the set 150, 152 and the thirdupper body force sensor 120 c is the right-most upper body force sensorin the set 150, 152. The second upper body force sensor 120 b may belocated along a line that is midway between the first upper body forcesensor 120 a and the third upper body force sensor 120 c. Moreparticularly, the second upper body force sensor 120 b may beequidistant from the first upper body force sensor 120 a and the thirdupper body force sensor 120 c. In at least some embodiments, the secondupper body force sensor 120 b associated with the left portion 112 ofthe mattress may be midway between the left side 106 and the center line110. Similarly, the second upper body force sensor 120 b associated withthe right portion 114 of the mattress may be midway between the rightside 108 and the center line 110.

The first upper body force sensor 120 a and the third upper body forcesensor 120 c may have a separation which is in the range of eight tofifteen inches, in at least some embodiments. In one example embodiment,the first upper body force sensor 120 a and the third upper body forcesensor 120 c may have a twelve inch separation.

In at least some embodiments, the upper body force sensors 120 a, 120 b,120 c may be located at differing distances from the top side 102 of themattress 101. In the example illustrated, the first upper body forcesensor 120 a and the third upper body force sensor 120 c are bothlocated at common distances from the top side 102 of the mattress 101.The second upper body force sensor 120 b is located at a differentdistance from the top side 102 than the first and third upper body forcesensors 120 a, 120 c. More specifically, in the example illustrated, thesecond upper body force sensor 120 b is relatively further from the topside 102 than are the first and third upper body force sensors 120 a,120 c. By placing the upper body sensor which is in the middle of theother two sensors at a different distance from the top side 102 than theother upper body sensors, the area of coverage of the upper body sensorsmay be increased. That is, this arrangement may provide a largercoverage area for the upper body sensors than an embodiment where all ofthe upper body sensors are equidistant from the top side 102.

The example of FIG. 1 includes three upper body force sensors in eachsensor set 150, 152. The sensor sets 150, 152 may include a greater orlesser number of upper body force sensors in other embodiments.

In the example illustrated, each sensor set 150, 152 also includes oneor more middle body force sensors 120 d, 120 e, 120 f. These middle bodyforce sensors 120 d, 120 e, 120 f are located generally nearer themiddle of an occupant's body; for example, near their lower back region.The middle body force sensors 120 d, 120 e, 120 f are generally in amiddle third of the mattress 101. In at least some embodiments, one ormore of these middle body force sensors 120 d, 120 e, 120 f is locatedapproximately thirty one to thirty three inches from the top side 102 ofthe mattress 101. In some embodiments, the middle body force sensors 120d, 120 e, 120 f may be located in the range of twenty nine to thirty sixinches from the top side 102 of the mattress 101.

In the example embodiment illustrated, the middle body force sensors 120d, 120 e, 120 f include three force sensors: a first middle body forcesensor 120 d, a second middle body force sensor 120 e, and a thirdmiddle body force sensor 120 f. The first middle body force sensor 120 dis the left-most middle body force sensor in the set 150, 152 and thethird middle body force sensor 120 f is the right-most middle body forcesensor in the set 150, 152. The second middle body force sensor 120 emay be located along a line that is midway between the first middle bodyforce sensor 120 d and the third middle body force sensor 120 f. Moreparticularly, the second middle body force sensor 120 e may beequidistant from the first middle body force sensor 120 d and the thirdmiddle body force sensor 120 f. In at least some embodiments, the secondmiddle body force sensor 120 e associated with the left portion of themattress may be midway between the left side 106 and the center line110. Similarly, the second middle body force sensor 120 e associatedwith the right portion 114 of the mattress may be midway between theright side 108 and the center line 110.

The first middle body force sensor 120 d and the third middle body forcesensor 120 f may have a separation which is in the range of eight tofifteen inches, in at least some embodiments. In one example embodiment,the first middle body force sensor 120 d and the third middle body forcesensor 120 f may have a twelve inch separation.

In at least some example embodiments, the middle body force sensors 120d, 120 e, 120 f may be located at differing distances from the top side102 of the mattress 101. In the example illustrated, the first middlebody force sensor 120 d and the third middle body force sensor 120 f areboth located at common distances from the top side 102 of the mattress101. The second middle body force sensor 120 e is located at a differentdistance from the top side 102 than the first and third middle bodyforce sensors 120 d, 120 f. More specifically, in the exampleillustrated, the second middle body force sensor 120 e is relativelyfurther from the top side 102 than are the first and third middle bodyforce sensors 120 d, 120 f. As noted above in the discussion of theupper body force sensors, by placing the middle body sensor which is inlocated between the other two middle body force sensors at a differentdistance from the top side 102 than the other middle body sensors, thearea of coverage of the middle body sensors may be increased. That is,this arrangement may provide a larger coverage area for the middle bodysensors than an embodiment where all of the middle body sensors areequidistant from the top side 102.

The example of FIG. 1 includes three middle body force sensors in eachsensor set 150, 152. The sensor sets 150, 152 may include a greater orlesser number of middle body force sensors in other embodiments.

In the example illustrated, each sensor set 150, 152 further includesone or more lower body force sensors 120 g, 120 h. The lower body forcesensors 120 g, 120 h are generally located in a leg region of themattress. The leg region of the mattress is a region that is associatedwith an occupant's legs. That is, the leg region is a region where aperson of average size would place their legs on the mattress. Theaverage size of a person may, for example, be region-specific to accountfor differing height averages in different parts of the world.

The lower body force sensors 120 g, 120 h are generally in a lower thirdof the mattress 101. In at least some embodiments, one or more of theselower body force sensors 120 g, 120 h is located approximately fifty tofifty five inches from the top side 102 of the mattress 101. In someembodiments, the lower body force sensors 120 g, 120 h may be located inthe range of forty eight to fifty eight inches from the top side 102 ofthe mattress 101.

In the example embodiment illustrated, the lower body force sensors 120g, 120 h include two force sensors: a first lower body force sensor 120g and a second lower body force sensor 120 h. The first lower body forcesensor 120 g is the left-most lower body force sensor in the set 150,152 and the second lower body force sensor 120 h is the right-most lowerbody force sensor in the set 150, 152.

The first lower body force sensor 120 g and the second lower body forcesensor 120 h may have a separation which is in the range of eight tofifteen inches, in at least some embodiments. In one example embodiment,the first lower body force sensor 120 g and the second lower body forcesensor 120 h may have a twelve inch separation.

The example of FIG. 1 includes two lower body force sensors in eachsensor set 150, 152. The sensor sets 150, 152 may include a greater orlesser number of lower body force sensors in other embodiments.

The force sensors 120 a-120 h may be of a variety of different forms. Inat least some embodiments, the force sensors 120 a-120 h may includeforce sensitive resistors. A force sensitive resistor is a materialwhose resistance changes when a force is applied. In at least someembodiments, the force sensitive resistors may be used in a voltagedivider circuit. By way of example, in at least some embodiments, theforce sensitive resistor may be a model 402 force sensitive resistorfrom Interlink Electronics™. Other force sensors could be pressuresensitive foams (such as a polyurthethane foam doped with carbon) orconductive threads/fabrics that change resistance with deformation, asan example.

Furthermore, in other embodiments, other sensors could be used to sensemovement and position of an occupant instead of or in addition to theforce sensors 120 a-120 h. For example, in some embodiments, one or moreaccelerometers could be embedded into the mattress.

The layout of the sensors described with reference to FIG. 1 may, in atleast some embodiments, be varied from that described and claimed aboveto account for variations in the sizes of occupants. For example, thelayout may be varied to account for regional-based differences,age-based differences and/or gender-based differences. For example, inone embodiment, a sensor set 150, 152 may be arranged to accommodate afemale of average size. In one embodiment, a sensor set 150, 152 may bearranged to accommodate a male of average size. In some embodiments, thearrangement of sensors may be customized for an individual. For example,measurements of an individual may be obtained and the force sensors 120a-120 h arranged in accordance with the obtained measurements. That is,a processor associated with a manufacturing system used to manufacturethe sleep system may determine sensor locations based on themeasurements. The measurements may, for example, be obtained byperforming an image-based analysis on a photograph of the individual. Inother embodiments, the measurements may be manually obtained an inputinto the manufacturing system using an input device.

Referring briefly to FIG. 2, a cross-section of the mattress 101 takenalong line 2-2 of FIG. 1 is illustrated. The cross section of themattress illustrates the embedding of sensors within the mattress. Asillustrated in FIG. 2, the mattress may be composed of one or moreinternal supporting layers which generally provide support to anoccupant of the mattress. The internal support layers may include foamlayers and/or coils. Other supporting materials may be used in otherembodiments. In the example illustrated, the mattress 101 is constructedof three foam layers 212, 210, 208. A lower foam layer 212 is thethickest foam layer in the example. This lower foam layer 212 supports amiddle foam layer 210. The middle foam layer 210 may support an upperfoam layer 208. The various foam layers may have different softnessratings. That is, the firmness of the foam layers may differ and some ofthe foam layers may have different indentation force deflection (IFD)ratings than other of the foam layers. For example, the upper foam layer208 may be softer than the lower foam layer 212 to provide a pillow-topeffect.

The supporting layer(s) of the mattress may be enclosed by a sock layer207. The sock layer 207 is an internal casing and is typically a fabric.The sock layer 207 surrounds the supporting layers and is, itself,surrounded by a ticking layer 206 (which may be referred to as the“ticking”).

The ticking layer 206 is the outermost layer of the mattress 101. Thatis, the ticking is the final layer of the mattress which encases theother layers of the mattress. The ticking is typically constructed of adurable fabric.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, in at least some embodiments, sensors, such asthe force sensors 120 a-120 h described above (and/or a body temperaturesensor 122 and/or a humidity sensor 124 which will be described ingreater detail below) may be embedded within the mattress. That is,these sensors may be disposed internally within the mattress 101. Insome embodiments, these sensors may be attached to an internal side ofthe ticking layer 206. In other embodiments, these sensors may beattached to the sock layer 207 of the mattress 101. In some embodiments,these sensors may be attached to the ticking layer 206 or the sock layer207 using an adhesive, such as a glue. Accordingly, in at least someembodiments, the sensing components of the sleep system 100 isnon-contact; that is, the user does not directly contact the sensors.

To facilitate an understanding of mattress flipping and rotation, whichwill be discussed below with reference to FIG. 10, two additional sidesof the mattress will be described—an upper side 260 and a lower side262. The upper side 260 is the side that supports an occupant and thelower side 262 supports the mattress itself. The lower side may rest ona floor, frame or box spring.

Temperature Sensor(s)

Referring again to FIG. 1, the sensor sets 150, 152 may include othersensors instead of or in addition to the force sensors described above.For example, in at least some embodiments, a body temperature sensor 122may be included in one or more of the sensor sets 150, 152. The bodytemperature sensor 122, which is embedded into the mattress, ispositioned to obtain temperature readings associated with an occupant ofthe mattress. That is, the body temperature sensor 122 detects anoccupant's body temperature.

In order to accurately measure an occupant's body temperature, the bodytemperature sensor 122 is placed in a region of the mattress in which anoccupant frequently sleeps. In at least some embodiments, the bodytemperature sensor 122 may be located in a middle body region of themattress 101. The middle body region of the mattress 101 is a region ofthe mattress that is located generally nearer the middle of anoccupant's body; for example, near their lower back region. The bodytemperature sensor 122 may generally be in a middle third of themattress 101. In at least some embodiments, the body temperature sensor122 is located approximately thirty one to thirty three inches from thetop side 102 of the mattress 101. In some embodiments, the bodytemperature sensor 122 may be located in the range of twenty nine tothirty six inches from the top side 102 of the mattress 101.

The body temperature sensor 122 may, in at least some embodiments, belocated at or near the middle of the left portion 112 and/or the rightportion 114 of the mattress 101. In at least some embodiments, the bodytemperature sensor 122 associated with the left portion of the mattressmay be approximately midway (i.e. within a two inch variation) betweenthe left side 106 and the center line 110. Similarly, the bodytemperature sensor 122 associated with the right portion 114 of themattress may be approximately midway (i.e. within a two inch variation)between the right side 108 and the center line 110. In some embodiments,such as embodiments where the mattress is sized for a single occupant, abody temperature sensor may be located near the center line 110 (i.e.within 2 inches of the center line 110).

The body temperature sensor 122 may be of a variety of different types.In one embodiment, the body temperature sensor includes a thermistor. Athermistor is a resistor whose resistance is highlytemperature-dependent. That is, the resistance of the thermistor changesgreatly due to changes in temperature. By way of example, in at leastone embodiment, the temperature sensor 122 may be a model MCP9700 orTC1047 model thermistor from Microchip™. It will be appreciated thatother temperature sensors may also be used.

In at least some embodiments, the body temperature sensor 122 may belocated to be near at least one force sensor 120 a-120 h. For example,the body temperature sensor 122 may be placed in an area of the mattresswhich is defined by the middle body force sensors 120 d, 120 e, 120 f.In at least some embodiments, the body temperature sensor 122 may bewithin five inches of at least one force sensor. In the exampleillustrated, the body temperature sensor 122 is located in proximity tothe second middle body force sensor 120 e. That is, the body temperaturesensor 122 and the second middle body force sensor 120 e are within fiveinches of one another.

In at least some embodiments, before a processor (which will bedescribed in greater detail below) utilizes a temperature readingobtained from the temperature sensor 122 for an operation that reliesupon an occupant's body temperature, it will determine whether the bodytemperature sensor 122 has, in fact, been engaged by an occupant's bodywhen determining whether a temperature reading represents a bodytemperature, the processor may analyze the temperature reading. If thetemperature is too low (i.e. if it is less than a predeterminedthreshold), then the processor may determine that the temperature sensoris not engaged and that the temperature being reported by thetemperature sensor is a room temperature and not a body temperature. Inat least some embodiments in which a force sensor 120 a-120 h is locatednear the body temperature sensor 122, data from the force sensor may beused to determine whether the body temperature sensor 122 is likelyengaged by an occupant's body. For example, if the force being reportedby the force sensor 120 a-120 h nearest the body temperature sensor 122exceeds a predetermined threshold, then the processor may determine thatthe body temperature sensor 122 is likely engaged and is likelyreporting a body temperature. If, however, the force is less than athreshold, then the processor may determine that the body temperaturesensor 122 is not reporting a body temperature.

In will be appreciated that, in at least some embodiments, a pluralityof temperature sensors 122 may be embedded into the mattress at aplurality of different locations. For example, a first temperaturesensor may be located at a first location and a second temperaturesensor may be located at a second location.

Furthermore, as will be discussed in greater detail below with referenceto FIG. 3, in at least some embodiments, the sleep system 100 mayinclude a room temperature sensor which is located to obtain temperaturereadings associated with the room where the sleep system 100 is locatedso that the temperature of a sleep environment may be assessed.

Humidity Sensor(s)

In at least some embodiments, the sensor sets 150,152 may also includeone or more humidity sensors 124 which are embedded into the mattress101. In some embodiments, at least one of the humidity sensors 124 maybe a body humidity sensor 124. The body humidity sensor 124 may be usedto obtain humidity readings which indicate an amount of perspiration ofthe occupant. Accordingly, the body humidity sensor 124 may, in at leastsome embodiments, be referred to as a perspiration sensor or a sweatsensor.

To detect humidity caused by an occupant, the body humidity sensor 124may be placed at a location where it is aligned with an occupant'stypical or expected sleeping position. For example, the humidity sensor124 may be placed in a region of the mattress in which an occupantfrequently sleeps. In at least some embodiments, the humidity sensor 124may be located in the middle body region of the mattress 101. Thehumidity sensor 124 may generally be in a middle third of the mattress101. In at least some embodiments, the humidity sensor 124 is locatedapproximately thirty one to thirty three inches from the top side 102 ofthe mattress 101. In some embodiments, the humidity sensor 124 may belocated in the range of twenty nine to thirty six inches from the topside 102 of the mattress 101.

The humidity sensor 124 may, in at least some embodiments, be located ator near the middle of the left portion 112 and/or the right portion 114of the mattress 101. In at least some embodiments, the humidity sensor124 associated with the left portion of the mattress may beapproximately midway (i.e. within a two inch variation) between the leftside 106 and the center line 110. Similarly, a humidity sensor 124associated with the right portion 114 of the mattress may beapproximately midway (i.e. within a two inch variation) between theright side 108 and the center line 110. In some embodiments, such asembodiments where the mattress is sized for a single occupant, ahumidity sensor 124 may be located near the center line 110 (i.e. within2 inches of the center line 110).

The humidity sensor 124 may be of a variety of different types. By wayof example, in at least one embodiment, the humidity sensor 124 may be aHoneywell™ model HIH-5030 or model HCH-1000 humidity sensor.

In at least some embodiments, the humidity sensor 124 may be located tobe near at least one force sensor 120 a-120 h. For example, in at leastsome embodiments, the humidity sensor 124 may be placed in an area ofthe mattress which is defined by the middle body force sensors 120 d,120 e, 120 f. In at least some embodiments, the humidity sensor 124 maybe within five inches of at least one force sensor. In the exampleillustrated, the humidity sensor 124 is located in proximity to thesecond middle body force sensor 120 e. That is, the humidity sensor 124and the second middle module force sensor 120 e are within five inchesof one another.

In at least some embodiments, before a processor interprets a readingfrom the humidity sensor as a perspiration reading (and/or incontinencereading) for an occupant of the mattress, it will determine whether thehumidity sensor 124 has, in fact, been engaged by an occupant's body. Inat least some embodiments in which a force sensor 120 a-120 h is locatednear the humidity sensor 124, data from the force sensor may be used todetermine whether the humidity sensor 124 is likely engaged by anoccupant's body. For example, if the force being reported by the forcesensor 120 a-120 h nearest the humidity sensor 124 exceeds apredetermined threshold, then the processor may determine that thehumidity sensor 124 is likely engaged and is likely reporting aperspiration reading (i.e. a reading representing humidity caused by auser perspiring). If, however, the force is less than a threshold, thenthe processor may determine that the humidity sensor 124 is notreporting a perspiration reading (i.e. that the humidity being reportedis not caused by a user perspiring) or incontinence reading.

As will be described below with reference to FIG. 10, the humiditysensor 124 may also, in at least some embodiments, be used to assess thehealth of the mattress itself. More particularly, a processor maymonitor the humidity level associated with the mattress and may generatean alert if the humidity level exceeds a threshold and/or if thehumidity level exceeds a threshold for at least a predetermined periodof time. In embodiments in which the humidity sensor 124 is used toassess the mattress health, the humidity sensor 124 may have a differentlocation than that noted above. More particularly, in such embodimentsthe humidity sensor 124 may not be located in a location that istypically associated with an occupant. However, in other embodiments,the humidity sensor 124 used for assessing mattress health may belocated in a location associated with an occupant.

In some embodiments, a humidity sensor 124 may be located in a regionassociated with occupant's middle body and, more particularly, to aregion which would typically be near the occupant's urethra. In at leastsome such embodiments, the humidity sensor 124 could be used to detect abedwetting condition (which may also be referred to as an incontinencecondition). That is, if the humidity level reported by the humiditysensor exceeds a predetermined threshold, then an associated processormay determine that an occupant has urinated in bed.

In will be appreciated that, in at least some embodiments, a pluralityof humidity sensors 124 may be embedded into the mattress at a pluralityof different locations. For example, a first humidity sensor may belocated at a location associated with a occupant's genitals and may beused to detect bedwetting and a second humidity sensor may be located ata location in which it would be likely to be engaged by an occupant'sback so that it could be used to detect excessive perspiration from theoccupant's back. Similarly, in some embodiments, another humidity sensorcould be located at another location where it is unlikely to be engagedby the occupant. This humidity sensor could be used for detecting ahumidity level associated with mattress health.

Furthermore, as will be discussed in greater detail below with referenceto FIG. 3, in at least some embodiments, the sleep system 100 mayinclude a room humidity sensor 330 which is located to obtain humidityreadings associated with the room where the sleep system 100 is locatedso that the humidity of a sleep environment may be assessed.

In at least some embodiments, the body temperature sensor 122 and thehumidity sensor 124 embedded into the mattress 101 are provided on acommon printed circuit board 128 and/or a flexible circuit board, whichmay provide further comfort for the occupant. The printed circuit board128 may, for example, facilitate connection of the sensors to one ormore transport mediums 140 (e.g. wires) which may connect the sensors toone or more processors.

Transport Mediums

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the various sensors (such as force sensors 120a-120 h, temperature sensors 122 and/or humidity sensors 124) that areembedded into the mattress 101 may be connected to one or moreprocessors 130 a, 130 b, 117 using one or more transport mediums 140,which are embedded into the mattress 101. That is, the transport mediums140 are internally run within the mattress so that an occupant cannotaccess the transport mediums 140.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, only a single transport medium 140on each side of the mattress has been labelled to avoid clutter.However, it will be appreciated that transport mediums may connect eachsensor to at least one processor and, in at least some embodiments, apower source 312 (FIG. 3).

The transport mediums 140 are conductive mediums that may be used totransmit an electrical signal from the sensors to the processor(s) 130a, 130 b, 117.

The transport mediums 140 may, in at least some embodiments, includewires. In some embodiments, at least some of the wires which run througha region of the mattress where an occupant might be expected to contactduring sleep are small gauge wires (for example, up to 20 American WireGauge (AGW)) to ensure that the occupant cannot feel the wires.

In one embodiment, the transport mediums 140 may include conductivethread, fabric, or ink/paint. Conductive thread or fabric is thread orfabric that is composed of a material which conducts an electricalsignal. The conductive thread provides an electrical connection betweenone or more sensors (such as a force sensor 120 a-120 h) to theprocessor(s) 130 a, 130 b, 117. The conductive thread may be sewn into alayer of the mattress 101, such as a sock layer 207 or a ticking layer206 of the mattress 101 (which are described above with reference toFIG. 2). In at least some embodiments, a conductive thread may be usedwhich is a silver-plated nylon yarn.

In FIG. 1, it appears that a single transport medium connects to eachsensor. In practice, a plurality of transport mediums 140 may connect toeach sensor. For example, one or more transport mediums may connect asensor to a power source 312 (FIG. 3) and another one or more transportmediums may be used for transmitting data.

Processors

The sleep system 100 includes one or more processors 130 a, 130 b, 117.The processors 130 a, 130 b, 117 may be used to analyze data obtainedfrom sensors associated with the sleep system 100, such as the forcesensors 120 a-120 h, the temperature sensor(s) 122, the humiditysensor(s) 124, a microphone 334 (FIG. 3), a light sensor 336 (FIG. 3), adust sensor 338 (FIG. 3), a room humidity sensor 330 (FIG. 3) and/or aroom temperature sensor 332 (FIG. 3).

In the embodiment illustrated, the sleep system includes a plurality ofprocessors 130 a, 130 b, 117. More specifically, each sensor set 150,152 is associated with a separate processor, which are microcontrollers130 a, 130 b, in the example. In the example embodiment illustrated, themicrocontrollers 130 a, 130 b are both electrically connected to a mainprocessor 117.

The microcontrollers 130 a, 130 b may include small processors which arecapable of doing simple calculations and data manipulation. Tasks thatare more processing-intensive may be performed by the main processor 117and/or by another processor which may be provided on a remote server ora mobile device.

Each microcontroller 130 a, 130 b may be connected to a plurality ofsensors via one or more transport mediums 140. These transport mediums140 may be of the type described above. For example, in at least someembodiments, the microcontrollers 130 a, 130 b may connect to thesensors using conductive thread.

In the example illustrated, each microcontroller 130 a, 130 b isconnected to all of the sensors in one of the sensor sets 150, 152. Thatis, a first microcontroller 130 a is connected to the sensors in thefirst set 150, which is the set that generally provides coverage on theleft portion 112 of the mattress 101 and a second microcontroller 130 bis connected to the sensors in the second set 152, which is the set thatgenerally provides coverage on the right portion 114 of the mattress101. More particularly, the first microcontroller 130 a is connected toforce sensors 120 a-120 h on the left portion 112 of the mattress 101and, in at least some embodiments, a body temperature sensor 122 and/ora humidity sensor 124 associated with the left portion 112 of themattress 101. Similarly, the second microcontroller 130 b is connectedto force sensors 120 a-120 h on the right portion 114 of the mattress101 and, in at least some embodiments, a body temperature sensor 122and/or a humidity sensor 124 associated with the right portion 114 ofthe mattress 101. Since each microcontroller 130 a, 130 b services a setof sensors associated with a particular side of the mattress in theexample, the combination of a microcontroller 130 a and the sensorswhich that microcontroller 130 a services may be referred to as asensing array or a sensor block. Accordingly, the first microcontroller130 a and the first sensor set 150 may be referred to as a first sensingarray or a left occupant sensing array 302 (FIG. 3), in at least someembodiments. Similarly, the second microcontroller 130 b and the secondsensor set 152 may be referred to as a second sensing array or a rightoccupant sensing array 304 (FIG. 3), in at least some embodiments.

The microcontrollers 130 a, 130 b may connect to the main processor 117using one or more transport mediums. In some embodiments, thesetransport mediums may be conductive thread. However, in otherembodiments, these transport mediums may be wires. Thus, the mainprocessor is coupled with the sensors via the microprocessors 130 a, 130b, in at least some embodiments.

In at least some embodiments, the microcontrollers 130 a, 130 b maycommunicate with the main processor 117 over more or more buses, whichare provided over the transport mediums connecting the microcontrollers130 a, 130 b to the main processor 117. In some embodiments, themicrocontrollers 130 a, 130 b may communicate with the main processor117 over and Inter-Integrated Circuit (I²C) bus. The I²C bus may use twobidirectional open-drain lines for communications, including a serialdata line (SDA) and a serial clock (SCL). These lines may be pulled upwith resistors, which may be 4.7 kilo-ohm resistors, in someembodiments.

Depending on the type of sensors and processors used, the processors mayinterface with one or more analog to digital converters (ADC) and/or oneor more digital to analog converters (DAC), which may connect to one ormore of the processors 130 a, 130 b, 117. The ADC may, for example, beused to convert an analog signal generated by a sensor (such as a forcesensor 120 a-120 h) into a digital signal which may be input to aprocessor (such as the microcontrollers 130 a, 130 b and/or the mainprocessor 117).

The main processor 117 may act as a master controller and themicrocontrollers 130 a, 130 b may act as slaves. In at least someembodiments, the slave microcontrollers 130 a, 130 b are configured toinclude identifying information in communications which are sent by themicrocontrollers 130 a, 130 b over the bus to the main processor 117.For example, a first byte of data sent to the main processor 117 fromthe microcontrollers 130 a, 130 b may be used to identify themicrocontroller 130 a, 130 b which sent that data. Such identificationallows for easy expansion of the system to incorporate more sensors ifneeded.

The microprocessors 130 a, 130 b may be configured to periodicallycollect data from the sensors in an associated sensor set 150,152. Themicroprocessor(s) 130 a, 130 b may collect data from different types ofsensors at different rates. For example, to perform some of the analysisdiscussed below, a large resolution in the time domain may be requiredfor force sensor data. Accordingly, in some embodiments, data from forcesensors 120 a-120 h may be collected at a period that is in the range of80 to 120 ms. In some embodiments, data from the force sensors 120 a-120h may be collected every 100 ms. However, other sensors, such as thebody temperature sensor 122 and/or the humidity sensor 124 may notrequire as high a resolution in the time domain. Thus, themicroprocessor(s) 130 a, 130 b may sample the body temperature sensor122 and/or the humidity sensor 124 at a lower rate than the forcesensors 120 a-120 h. For example, in some embodiments, data from thebody temperature sensor 122 and/or the humidity sensor 124 may becollected at a period that is in the range of 2500 to 4500 ms.

While FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment in which three processors areutilized (including a main processor 117 and two microcontrollers 130 a,130 b), in other embodiments a greater or lesser number of processorsmay be used. For example, in some embodiments, the main processor 117may perform some data calculations and manipulations and may output thedata to a connected peripheral which contains a further processor whichperforms additional analysis on the data.

The microcontroller(s) 130 a, 130 b are embedded into the mattress 101in the illustrated embodiment. For example, the microcontroller(s) 130a, 130 b may be attached to a sock layer 207 of the mattress 101 or aninterior side of the ticking layer 206 of the mattress. These layers aredescribed in greater detail above with reference to FIG. 2. Themicrocontroller(s) are disposed internally within the mattress so thatthey cannot be viewed by the occupant of the mattress 101. Themicrocontrollers may, in at least some embodiments, be provided on PCBsor flexible PCBs.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, some of the analysis described hereinmay be performed using a processor that is remote from the mattress 101.For example, as will be described below with reference to FIG. 3, thesleep system 100 may be equipped with a communication subsystem, such asa wireless communication subsystem 370. The wireless communicationsubsystem may, for example, be a WiFi connection and/or a Bluetooth™connection. This connection may be used for sending data to a remoteserver or computer, which contains a processor. By way of example, insome embodiments, data may be collected and periodically sent to theremote server or computer for analysis. For example, the wirelesscommunication subsystem may provide a connection between the mainprocessor 117 and a mobile device 1200 (FIG. 12) such as a smartphone ortablet computer (or a computer of another type). The mobile device 1200may include a processor 1217 (FIG. 12) which may be associated withcomputer executable instructions which configure the processor toperform at least some of the analysis described below. Further, in someembodiments, data may be sent over the Internet to a server. This datamay be sent directly from the main processor 117 to the remote server(i.e. via the wireless communication subsystem 370), or may be sent byengaging a mobile device 1200 or other computer which may have Internetconnectivity and which may forward the data to the remote server. Thus,the remote server may include a processor which may be associated withcomputer executable instructions which configure the processor toperform at least some of the analysis described below.

The main processor 117 is, in some embodiments, provided internallywithin the mattress 101. In the example illustrated, the main processor117 is provided in a central processing unit 132 which is integratedwith the mattress 101. The central processing unit 132 may be providedat one end of the mattress 101. In the example illustrated, the centralprocessing unit 132 is provided at a bottom side 104 of the mattress101. However, the central processing unit 132 may be provided atdifferent locations in other embodiments.

By way of further example, in some embodiments the central processingunit 132, or a portion thereof, may be provided at a location that isexternal to the mattress 101. For example, the central processing unit132 (or a portion thereof) may be provided as a peripheral whichconnects to other components of the sleep system 100 (such as themicrocontrollers 130 a, 130 b) either via a wired or wirelessconnection. The peripheral may, for example, be configured to rest on atable, such as a night table, located near the mattress 101.

Machine-Readable Code(s)

As will be discussed in greater detail below, in some embodiments, thesleep system 100 may be configured to communicate with an associatedmobile device 1200 (FIG. 12). The mobile device 1200 may, for example,be a smartphone or tablet computer.

In at least some embodiments, to facilitate download of a mattressmonitoring application 1290 (FIG. 12) onto the mobile device and/orsetup of the mattress monitoring application 1290 on the mobile device,one or more machine readable codes 180 a, 180 b may be affixed to themattress 101. This code may, for example, be a quick response (QR) code.The machine-readable code may, in at least some embodiments be unique tothe mattress. That is, the machine-readable code may uniquely identifythe mattress 101 from other mattresses. In at least some embodiments,the machine-readable code 180 a, 180 b is readable by the mobile device1200 to associate the mobile device with the mattress. In someembodiments, this may allow the mobile device to communicate with aserver and to register the mattress in a user profile maintained by theserver.

In some embodiments, both the left and right portions 112, 114 of themattress 101 may include separate machine-readable codes 180 a, 180 bwhich may be used to associate a mobile device 1200 with a specific sideof the mattress. Each of these machine-readable codes is associated witha separate portion 112, 114 of the mattress 101. For example, a firstcode 180 a may be located at a left portion 112 of the mattress andassociated with the left portion 112 and a second code 180 b may belocated at a right portion 114 of the mattress and associated with theright portion 114. A user of a mobile device 1200 (FIG. 12) may use acamera 1280 (FIG. 12) on that device to scan the code 180 a, 180 b. Thecodes 180 a, 180 b uniquely identify the mattress from other mattresses,and each of the codes uniquely identifies the side of the mattressassociated with that code. For example, the first code 180 a mayidentify the left side and the second code 180 b may identify the rightside.

In such embodiments, the code 180 a, 180 b may be used by the mobiledevice 1200 to associate the mobile device 1200 with a specific side ofthe mattress. That is, an occupant who sleeps on the left portion 112may scan the code 180 a associated with the left portion. In at leastsome embodiments, by doing so the mobile device 1200 will then obtainand/or display information obtained from the sleep system about the leftportion of the mattress. For example, sleep state information and/or rawdata generated from a first sensor set 150 located at the left portionmay be retrieved by the mobile device which has scanned the code 180 aon the left portion, but sleep state information and/or raw datagenerated from the second sensor set 152 located at the right portionmay not be retrieved by the mobile device which has scanned the code 180a on the left portion. Accordingly, in at least some embodiments, amobile device 1200 may only retrieve and/or display informationassociated with a portion of the bed for which it has scanned theassociated code 180 a, 180 b.

In at least some embodiments, the codes may have encoded therein alocation where the mobile device 1200 (FIG. 12) may download themattress monitoring application 1290. This location may, for example, bea server location such as the location of a file on an applicationstore, such as Google Play™ or Appleυ app store.

In some embodiments, the sleep system 100 may be equipped with one ormore wireless tags which store the machine readable code(s) referred toabove. For example, in some embodiments, a near field communication(NFC) tag or radio frequency identification (RFID) tag may be providedon the sleep system 100. The tag may be read by a mobile device 1200(FIG. 12) to cause the mobile device to perform one or more of thefunctions described above (e.g. to cause the mobile device to downloadthe mattress monitoring application 1290 (FIG. 12) onto the mobiledevice and/or setup the mattress monitoring application 1290, and/or toassociate the mobile device with a specific side of the mattress). In atleast some embodiments, the sleep system 100 may include a plurality oftags and each tag may be physically located near a separate side of themattress. In such embodiments, when the mobile device 1200 scans thetag, it may associate the mobile device 1200 with the side where the tagwas located.

Block Diagram of Sleep System

Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of the sleep system 100 isillustrated. The block diagram includes components discussed above.

As illustrated, the sleep system 100 includes a plurality of occupantmonitoring sensors. The occupant monitoring sensors include forcesensors 120 a-120 h, a body temperature sensor 122 and a humidity sensor124. In the example illustrated, the sensors are divided into two sensorsets 150, 152. A first sensor set 150 is associated with a left portion112 of the mattress 101 and is included in a left occupant sensing array302. A right sensor set 152 is associated with a right portion 114 ofthe mattress and is included in a right occupant sensing array 304. Eachof the sensing arrays 302, 304 in the example includes an associatedmicrocontroller 130 a, 130 b, which receives sensor data from thesensors in the sensing array 302, 304 associated with themicrocontroller 130 a, 130 b.

In the example, each sensor set 150, 152 includes a plurality of forcesensors 120 a-120 h, a body temperature sensor 122 and a humidity sensor124. The sensor sets 150, 152 may include other types of sensors insteadof or in addition to the sensors described above. Further, in someembodiments, one or more of the sensors illustrated in FIG. 3 may beomitted. The sensors may, for example, generate an electric signal whichincludes sensor data and may provide the electric signal to a processor,such as the microcontroller 130 a, 130 b and/or the main processor 117.

The sensors in the sensor sets 150, 152 may be arranged in the mannerdescribed above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

As noted above, transport mediums 140 may connect the sensors in asensing array 302, 304 to a processor, such as an associatedmicrocontroller 130 a, 130 b.

The microcontrollers 130 a, 130 b include a processor and associatedmemory. The microcontrollers 130 a, 130 b are coupled with a mainprocessor 117. The main processor is coupled with a memory 372. Thememory associated with the microcontrollers 130 a, 130 b and the memoryassociated with the main processor 117 may store processor-executableinstructions which configure the associated processor to perform amethod, such as one or more of the methods described below.

The memory 372 associated with the main processor 117 is, in theembodiment illustrated, external to the main processor 117. In otherembodiments, the memory, the memory may be internal memory of the mainprocessor 117.

The memory 372 associated with the main processor 117 and the memoriesassociated with the microcontrollers 130 a, 130 b may take a variety offorms and may include a plurality of different types of memories. Forexample, in some embodiments, flash memory may be utilized. In someembodiments, random access memory (RAM) may be used. It will beappreciated that any one of the processors may be coupled with memory ofa plurality of types. For example, the main processor 117 may use bothflash memory and RAM.

A memory 372 coupled with a processor (such as the main processor 117)may be used, in at least some embodiments, for storing data obtained orderived from the sensors. For example, information derived from thesensor data may be stored in the memory 372 for further analysis orreporting. For example, various scores that may be determined inaccordance with some embodiments described below may be stored in thememory 372. These scores may, for example, include a sleep score, asleep environment score, a mattress health score, etc. Further, in atleast some embodiments, a processor may use the memory 372 to storesleep state information for an occupant of the mattress 101. The sleepstate information may be of various types. For example, in at least someembodiments, the processor may store information regarding timesassociated with various sleep stages of the occupant. For example, thetime when a user fell asleep and/or woke up may be recorded in thememory. Similarly, in at least some embodiments, sleep disorderinformation for an occupant may be stored in the memory 372. Thisinformation may indicate whether a user has or is likely to have a sleepdisorder. The sleep disorder may, for example, include any one orcombination of: insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, bruxism, delayedsleep phase syndrome, advanced sleep phase syndrome, periodic limbmovement disorder, sleep walking, sleep talking, bed wetting, etc.Techniques which may be used to allow one or more of the processors 117to detect such conditions are described in greater detail below withreference to FIG. 9.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the processor(s) 117 may store inmemory 372 information about the health of the mattress. Thisinformation may, for example, include, for example, mattress healthinformation. Mattress health information is information about the healthof the mattress 101. The mattress health information may, for example,quantify the usage of the mattress over its lifetime (i.e. sincemanufacture of the mattress), quantify the usage of the mattress since amaintenance event (such as the usage since a last flip or rotation ofthe mattress, the usage since the last vacuuming of the mattress, theusage since the last change of bedding, the usage since the lastdeodorizing and/or disinfecting of the mattress), and/or may be based onthe humidity level associated with the mattress. Techniques which may beused to allow one or more of the processors to detect such conditionsare described in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 10.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the processor(s) may store in memoryinformation about a sleeping environment associated with the mattress101. The sleeping environment information may, for example, include ameasure of a humidity level in the room where the mattress is located,or a measure of a temperature level in the room where the mattress islocated. Other sleeping environment information may be stored in thememory in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, raw sensor data may be stored in the memory 372 forfurther analysis or reporting. This raw sensor data may, for example,include force sensor data (i.e. data obtained from one or more of theforce sensors 120 a-120 h), body temperature sensor data (i.e. dataobtained from a body temperature sensors 122), humidity sensor data(i.e. data obtained from a humidity sensors 124), dust sensor data (i.e.data obtained from a dust sensor), audio data (which may be dataobtained from a microphone 334), light sensor data (i.e. data obtainedfrom a light sensor), room temperature sensor data (i.e. data obtainedfrom a room temperature sensor 332), and/or room humidity sensor data(i.e. data obtained from a room humidity sensor 330), etc.

The sleep system 100 may include one or more output interfaces 380. Theoutput interface 380 may be used for outputting information from thesleep system 100. In some embodiments, the output interfaces 380 mayinclude a display 390. The display 390 may, for example, be a liquidcrystal display (LCD) or a display of another type. In some embodiments,the display 390 may be a touchscreen display. The touchscreen displaymay be used both as an output interface and an input interface forreceiving input at the sleep system 100. The display 390 may becontrolled by the main processor 117 and used for providing a visualoutput of information derived from one or more of the sensors. Forexample, in at least some embodiments, the display 390 may, in oneoperating mode, display a display screen which provides a score such asa sleep score, a sleep environment (a.k.a. hygiene) score, a mattresshealth score, etc. The output interfaces may be used for providingfeedback based on sleep state information determined at the sleep system100. Such sleep state information will be described in greater detailbelow.

Accordingly, in at least some embodiments, a processor may cause thedisplay 390 to display sleep state information for an occupant of themattress 101. Such information may, for example, indicate times when anoccupant fell asleep, woke up, entered a particular stage of sleep, etc.

In some embodiments, a processor 117 may cause a display 390 to displaysleep disorder information for an occupant. As noted above, thisinformation may indicate whether a user has or is likely to have a sleepdisorder. The sleep disorder may, for example, include and one orcombination of: insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, bruxism, delayedsleep phase syndrome, advanced sleep phase syndrome, periodic limbmovement disorder, sleep walking, sleep talking, bed wetting, etc.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the processor(s) may cause the display390 to display information about the health of the mattress 101. Asnoted above, this information may, for example, include an indication ofwhen the mattress was last rotated and/or flipped, an indication of atotal amount of usage of a mattress over its life, an indication of atotal amount of usage of a mattress since its last flip or rotation,and/or an indication of a humidity level associated with the mattress.In at least some embodiments, the processor may cause an alert to bedisplayed if it determines that the humidity levels associated with themattress are likely to cause mattress health issues, such as mold.Similarly, in some embodiments, the processor may cause a mattress lifeindicator to be displayed. The mattress life indicator may alert theoccupant when it is time to replace the mattress. In at least someembodiments, the processor may cause a mattress flip or rotationindicator to be displayed. The mattress flip or rotation indicator mayalert the occupant when it is time to flip or rotate the mattress.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the processor(s) may cause informationabout a sleeping environment associated with the mattress 101 to bedisplayed. The sleeping environment information may, for example,include a measure of a humidity level in the room where the mattress islocated, or a measure of a temperature level in the room where themattress is located. Other sleeping environment information may bedisplayed in other embodiments.

The output interfaces 380 may also include one or more wirelesscommunication subsystems 370. The wireless communication subsystem 370may be coupled with the main processor 117 and used to send data to orreceive data from another system or device.

In at least some embodiments, the wireless communication subsystems 370may include a Bluetooth™ subsystem. The Bluetooth subsystem is ashort-range communication subsystem which may, for example, useBluetooth-formatted communications to connect with a nearby paireddevice, such as a mobile device 1200 (FIG. 12) including a smartphone ortablet computer. The mobile device may, in at least some embodiments,have installed thereon a mattress monitoring application which isconfigured to interface with the sleep system 100. For example, thesleep system application may be configured to use the data received fromthe sleep system 100 to generate a display on a display 1290 (FIG. 12)of a mobile device and/or a laptop or desktop computer. The display maydisplay information of the type described above as being displayed onthe sleep system's display 390. For example, various information aboutan occupant's sleep, the sleeping environment and/or the mattress healthmay be displayed.

In some embodiments, the wireless communication subsystems 370 mayinclude a Wi-Fi subsystem and/or a cellular subsystem such as a 3G, 4Gor Long Term Evolution (LTE) network subsystem. The Wi-Fi subsystem maybe configured to communicate using a Wi-Fi protocol. The Wi-Fi subsystemmay, for example, provide connectivity to the Internet via a router.

In at least some embodiments, the wireless communication subsystem 370allows the sleep system 100 to send data to another device, server orsystem for further processing. For example, the other device, server orsystem may be configured to perform one or more of the methods describedbelow, or a portion thereof.

The electrical components of the sleep system 100 (such as theprocessor(s), sensors, etc.) may be connected to and receive power fromone or more power source 312. In some embodiments, the sleep system 100may include or be connectable to a power cable which connects the sleepsystem 100 to a mains power source, which may be an alternating current(AC) power source. In at least some embodiments, an AC to DC (directcurrent) converter may be used to convert the alternating currentprovided by the mains power source to DC, which may be required by atleast some of the electrical components of the sleep system in someembodiments.

Further, in at least some embodiments, the power source 312 may includea battery, which may be inserted into a battery interface. The batterymay be included instead of or in addition to a connection to a mainspower source.

In at least some embodiments, the wireless communication subsystem 370,the memory 372, the display 390 (and/or another output interface 380),and/or the main processor 117, may be provided in a central processingunit 132. The central processing unit 132 may include a housing whichhouses the components of the central processing unit 132. In someembodiments, the central processing unit 132 may be included in themattress 101. For example, in the example embodiment of FIG. 1, thecentral processing unit 132 is embedded into the mattress. The centralprocessing unit 132 may be located at a side of the mattress. Such alocation may provide less obstruction for signals sent and received viathe wireless communication subsystem 370 than embodiments where thecentral processing unit 132 is more centrally located. Further, such alocation may allow the display 390 to protrude from a side of themattress 101 where it may be easily viewed.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the central processing unit 132is located at a bottom side 104 of the mattress 101. In otherembodiments, the central processing unit 132 may be located at eitherthe left side 106 or the right side 108 of the mattress 101. In at leastsome embodiments, the central processing unit is located away from alocation of the mattress where the occupant typically sleeps. Suchlocations may minimize the interference on a wireless signal caused bythe occupant.

In other embodiments, the central processing unit 132 or a portionthereof, may be provided in an external peripheral which may connect tothe sleep system 100 through either a wired or wireless connection. Forexample, in some embodiments, a cable may connect the externalperipheral to the sleep system 100. The peripheral may, for example, beconfigured to rest on a flat surface, such as a tabletop. By way ofexample, the external peripheral may be placed on a nightstand in someembodiments.

Furthermore, in other embodiments, the components of the centralprocessing unit 132 may be physically separated, with some of thecomponents being provided in the mattress 101 and some of the componentsbeing provided in a connected external peripheral. In some suchembodiments, both the mattress 101 and the external peripheral mayinclude a processor. One or both of these processors may be configuredto perform any one or more of the methods described below.

The sleep system 100 may also include sensors associated with a sleepingenvironment sensing array 306. The sleeping environment sensing array isconfigured to obtain information about the environment where themattress 101 is located. In at least some embodiments, the sleepingenvironment sensing array 306 may be provided in the central processingunit 132. As noted above, the sleeping environment sensing array 306 maybe provided in the mattress 101 itself or in an external peripheral.Accordingly, in at least some embodiments, one or more of the sensors inthe sleeping environment sensing array 306 may be provided in themattress 101 and, in at least some embodiments, one or more of thesensors in the sleeping environment sensing array 306 may be provided inthe external peripheral.

As will be described in greater detail below, this information could beused to provide reports to an occupant (e.g. via a display, such as thedisplay 390 of the sleep system or a display 1290 (FIG. 12) on anotherdevice such as a mobile device 1200 connected to the smart mattress).These reports may evaluate the sleep environment (i.e. the area in thevicinity of the mattress). By way of example, information about thelighting levels, dust levels, gas levels (such as carbon monoxide levelsor natural gas levels), humidity levels, temperature levels and/orambient noise levels may be provided. Furthermore, in at least someembodiments, data of various types may used to generate a sleepenvironment score. The sleep environment score may be based on two ormore of the following factors: lighting levels, gas levels, dust levels,humidity levels, temperature levels and/or ambient noise levels.

Room humidity information may be obtained from a room humidity sensor330. The room humidity sensor 330 may be of the type described above(i.e. the body humidity sensor 124). However, in at least someembodiments, the room humidity sensor 330 may be located away from aregion of the mattress in which an occupant typically sleeps, to preventthe humidity sensor from capturing humidity information associated withthe occupant. For example, in some embodiments, the room humidity sensor330 may be included in an external peripheral which may connect to thesleep system 100 through either a wired or wireless connection. The roomhumidity sensor 330 generates an electrical signal based on the amountof humidity in the region of the humidity sensor 330. That is, theelectrical signal output by the humidity sensor includes humidityinformation. This humidity information may be provided to a processorsuch as the main processor 117 for analysis.

Room temperature information may be obtained from a room temperaturesensor 332. The room temperature sensor 332 may be of the type describedabove with reference to the body temperature sensor 122. However, in atleast some embodiments, the room temperature sensor 332 may be locatedaway from a region of the mattress in which an occupant typicallysleeps, to prevent the temperature sensor from capturing temperatureinformation associated with the occupant. For example, in someembodiments, the room temperature sensor 332 may be included in theexternal peripheral described above. The room temperature sensor 332generates an electrical signal based on the temperature in the region ofthe room temperature sensor 332. That is, the electrical signal outputby the temperature sensor includes temperature information. Thistemperature information may be provided to a processor such as the mainprocessor 117 for analysis.

In some embodiments, the sleeping environment sensing array 306 mayinclude a microphone 334. The microphone 334 may, for example, be usedto obtain sound information. As is known, the microphone may convertsound waves into electrical energy variations, which may be provided asan electrical signal to a processor (this signal may be converted to adigital signal by an ADC before input to the processor in someembodiments). This electrical signal may be said to contain soundinformation. This sound information may, for example, indicate theamount of ambient noise in the room where the sleep system 100 islocated. In at least some embodiments, the microphone 334 may be locatedaway from a region of the mattress in which an occupant typicallysleeps, to minimize the effect of noise from the occupant (e.g. due tomovements, snoring, etc.) on the captured sound. That is, the microphonemay be separated from the occupant so that the captured sound indicatessound caused by other sources of noise or sound, apart from theoccupant. In other embodiments, the microphone may be located near theoccupant to detect occupant-generated audio, such as snoring, breathing,etc.

In at least some embodiments, the microphone 334 may be a condensermicrophone, which may also be referred to as a capacitor microphone oran electrostatic microphone. By way of example, in some embodiments, themicrophone 334 may be a CMC-2742WBL-25L model microphone manufactured byCUI Inc.

In some embodiments, the sleeping environment sensing array 306 includesa light sensor 336. The light sensor 336 includes a light sensitiveelement which generates an electrical signal responsive to receivedlight. That is, the electrical signal includes light information whichindicates the amount of received light received at the light sensor 336.Thus, the light information indicates how light (or how dark) the roomis. In at least some embodiments, the light sensor is an EverlightElectronics™ ambient light sensor, such as an AS-PT243-3C/L177. Thelight sensor 336 may sense light in the visible range. In at least someembodiments, the light sensor 336 may sense light with a wavelength inthe range of 390 to 700 nm. The light information generated by the lightsensor is provided to a processor (such as the main processor 117) as anelectrical signal. The light sensor 336 may not function if it isobstructed. Accordingly, in at least some embodiments, the light sensor336 is not included in the mattress 101 where it might be obscured bybedding, for example; instead, the light sensor 336 may be included inthe external peripheral.

In some embodiments, the sleeping environment sensing array 306 includesa dust sensor 338. The dust sensor 338 may be an optical dust sensor andmay include an emitting diode and a photoresisitor. By way of example,in some embodiments, the dust sensor 306 may be a model GP2Y1010AU0Fdust sensor manufactured by Sharp™. In some embodiments, the dust sensor338 may measure dust concentrations in the range of 0 to 0.8 mg/m³. Thedust sensor 338 generates an electrical signal which indicates theamount of dust in the vicinity of the dust sensor 338. The amount ofdust in the vicinity of the dust sensor 338 may be referred to as dustinformation. This dust information may be provided to a processor (suchas the main processor 117) as an electrical signal.

The dust sensor 338 may not function if it is obstructed. Accordingly,in at least some embodiments, the dust sensor 338 is not included in themattress 101 where it might be obscured by bedding, for example;instead, the dust sensor 338 may be included in the external peripheral.

The sensors in the sleeping environment sensing array 306 are coupled toone or more processors, such as the main processor 117. In theembodiment illustrated, the sensors in the sleeping environment sensingarray 306 connect directly to the main processor 117. However, in otherembodiments, these sensors may not connect directly to the mainprocessor; one or more microcontrollers may be connected between thesleeping environment sensing array and the main processor.

In some embodiments (not shown), the sleep environment sensing array 306may be provided in whole or in part by a mobile device 1200. Moreparticularly, sensors on the mobile device 1200 could be used as thesleeping environment sensing array 306.

It will be appreciated that the sleep system 100 may include componentsin addition to those described above, including, for example, additionalsensors and that the components described above may be arranged in adifferent manner than that illustrated in FIG. 1, 2 or 3. For example,in some embodiments, the microphone (which is illustrated as beingincluded in the sleeping environment sensing array 306 in FIG. 3) couldbe instead included in an occupant sensing array (such as the leftoccupant sensing array 302 and/or the right occupant sensing array 304).Such a microphone could, for example, be used to detect soundsassociated with the occupant, such as snoring, etc.

By way of further example, in at least some embodiments, the sleepsystem 100 may include one or more input interfaces which are notillustrated in FIG. 3. Such input interfaces may include a keyboard,keypad, button, touchscreen, etc. The input interface(s) may beconnected to a processor (such as the main processor 117) to allow theprocessor to receive input. The input interfaces may also be referred toas input mechanisms or input devices, in some embodiments.

Furthermore, the humidity sensor(s) 124 which are described as beingembedded into the mattress 101 could be used for other purposes apartfrom sensing conditions associated with the occupant. For example, theymay also be used to detect mattress health information. For example,they may be used to determine whether the mattress is too wet, whichcould cause mould.

As will also be described in greater detail below, in at least someembodiments, one or more of the force sensors 120 a-120 h which areembedded into the mattress 101 may be used for evaluating the health ofthe mattress. For example, the force sensors 120 a-120 h could be usedto monitor usage of the mattress. Usage information may be used toprovide feedback via an output interface 380 about the health of themattress. This feedback may, for example, prompt a user to flip and/orrotate the mattress and/or may suggest replacement of the mattress.

Additionally, in at least some embodiments, the sleep system 100 mayinclude timing circuitry or timing components. The timing circuitry ortiming components may be used, for example, to track a time of dayand/or a date. Accordingly, in at least some embodiments, such timingcomponents may include a clock. This information may be used in some ofthe methods described below. For example, this information, togetherwith information from the force sensors 120 a-120 h may be used todetermine the time when an occupant went to bed and/or when the occupantwoke up. The timing circuitry or timing components may be provided on aprocessor such as the main processor 117 in at least some embodiments.

Furthermore, it will be appreciated that at least some of the componentsdescribed above may be omitted in at least some embodiments. Forexample, one or more sensors could be omitted. For example, in someembodiments, sensors associated with one or more of the occupant sensingarrays 302, 304 may be included but sensors associated with the sleepingenvironment sensing array 306 may be omitted. By way of further example,in other embodiments, sensors associated with one or more of thesleeping environment sensing arrays 306 could be included and thesensors associated with the occupant sensing arrays 302, 304 omitted.

Sleep State Information Determination

In at least some embodiments, one or more of the processors that areincluded in the sleep system 100 or in a server, system or device thatis coupled to the sleep system may be configured to determine sleepstate information for an occupant based on data obtained from one ormore of the force sensors. The one or more processors may include, forexample, the main processor 117, the microprocessors 130 a, 130 b, aprocessor provided on an external peripheral of the type describedabove, a processor 1217 on a mobile device 1200 connected or connectableto the sleep system 100, a processor on a remote server connectable tothe sleep system 100, and/or another processor associated with the sleepsystem 100.

More particularly, one or more memories associated with the one or moreprocessors may include processor-executable instructions which, whenexecuted, configure the processor to perform one or more of the methods400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 described below with reference to FIGS. 4to 9. For example, in some embodiments, memory 372 associated with themain processor 117 may include such processor-executable instructions toconfigure the main processor 117 to perform one or more of the methods.

The methods 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 described below with referenceto FIGS. 4 to 9 may be used to determine sleep state information. Aswill be described in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 4 to9, the sleep state information may include, for example: sleep stageinformation which indicates a sleep stage of an occupant and/or thetimes at which the occupant entered and/or exited various sleep stages(see FIG. 5), awake and/or asleep status information which indicateswhether the occupant is awake or asleep and/or the times at which theoccupant fell asleep and/or woke up (see FIG. 5), sleep onset latencyinformation which is a measure of the amount of time required by anoccupant to fall asleep (see FIG. 5), sleep position information whichindicates a sleeping position of the occupant and/or the times when theoccupant entered and exited various sleeping positions (see FIG. 8),and/or sleep disorder information (see FIG. 9). The sleep disorderinformation may indicate whether an occupant is suffering from a sleepdisorder, the nature of the sleep disorder affecting the occupant,and/or a likelihood score which indicates the likelihood that theoccupant is suffering from a given sleep disorder.

At least some of the sleep state information described above may bedetermined based on movement information which indicates the quantityand or times of movements of an occupant (see FIG. 4), heart rateinformation which indicates a heart rate of the occupant and which maytrack changes in the heart rate over time (see FIG. 6), and/orrespiration rate information which indicates a respiration rate of theoccupant and which may track changes in the respiration rate over time(see FIG. 7).

After sleep state information is determined by a processor associatedwith the sleep system, it may be store in memory (such as the memory 372associated with the main processor 117 and/or memory associated with amobile device 1200 wirelessly connected to the sleep system 100 and/ormemory associated with a server connected to the sleep system 100 and/orthe mobile device 1200) and/or may be used to generate an output at anoutput interface associated with the sleep system or a mobile deviceconnected or connectable to the sleep system. In some embodiments, theoutput interface may be a display. For example, in some embodiments, analarm may be generated on the display based on the sleep stateinformation. By way of example, the alarm may inform a user that theyare likely suffering from a sleep disorder.

Extraction of Movement Component

In at least some embodiments, the sleep system 100 may extract amovement component from the data obtained from the force sensors. Thisextraction may, for example, obtain a movement component whichrepresents movements of the occupant which are not caused by heart orbreathing induced movements. That is, the movement component mayrepresent movements that are caused by an occupant shifting in bed,changing positions in bed, moving a limb, etc.

In some embodiments, the sleep system 100 may determine whether a givensample obtained from a force sensor 120 a-120 h represents movement ofthe occupant. In at least some embodiments, this determination may beperformed based on changes of force over time using a moving averagedifference method. That is, sudden changes of force measured at one ofthe force sensors may be interpreted as a movement.

Referring now to FIG. 4, one example method 400 will now be discussed.The method 400 may, for example, be performed by one or more processorsconnected to or associated with the sleep system 100, such as the mainprocessor 117 and the microprocessors 130 a, 130 b. More particularly,one or more memories associated with the one or more processors mayinclude processor-executable instructions which, when executed,configure that processor to perform a method described below.

At 402, sensor data is obtained from the force sensor(s) 120 a-120 h.The sensor data may be periodically obtained; for example, at apredetermined interval and, in at least some embodiments, the sensordata may be obtained from each of the force sensors 120 a-120 h. Thesensor data obtained at 402 may represent readings at discrete points intime which may be referred to as samples. Each sample is, therefore,associated with a specific point in time. In at least some embodiments,samples from all of the force sensor(s) may be obtained at each timeinterval. That is, all of the force sensors may be sampled at once toobtain a number of samples representing the force measured at variouslocations of the mattress 101 at a single point in time. The sensor data(i.e. the samples) may, in at least some embodiments, be stored at 402in a memory associated with the sleep system 100, such as memory 372associated with the main processor 117. In other embodiments, the sensordata may be stored in another type of memory, such as a cache.

At 404, the processor determines whether a movement occurred based onthe sensor data obtained from the force sensor(s). In at least someembodiments, the processor may determine whether a movement has occurredat a given time, t1, by comparing the sensor data (i.e. the forcereading) from a force sensor at that point in time to sensor data fromthat same force sensor before and/or after that given time (i.e. beforeor after t1).

In some embodiments, the processor may determine whether a movement hasoccurred at a given time by comparing front window readings to backwindow readings. The front window readings are sensor samples obtainedbefore the given time for which movement is being evaluated and the backwindow readings are sensor samples obtained after the given time forwhich movement is being evaluated. In at least some embodiments, theprocessor may determine whether a movement has occurred at a given timeby comparing an average of a predetermined number of front windowreadings with an average of a predetermined number of back windowreadings. That is, a moving average difference method may be used todetermine whether a movement has occurred at a given time. This movingaverage difference may, in some embodiments, be a multi-point averagedifference method which calculates the average of multiple samples inthe front window and multiple samples in the back window in order todetermine whether a movement has occurred. By way of example, in someembodiments, a five point average difference method may be used whichcalculates the average of five samples in the front window and fivesamples in the back window.

By way of example, in some embodiments, the processor may determinewhether a movement has occurred at a given time, t1, by evaluating thefollowing equation to find a difference, D, between a front windowaverage and a back window average for a sensor, k,:

$D = {\frac{\sum\limits_{i = {{n{\lbrack k\rbrack}} - x}}^{{n{\lbrack k\rbrack}} - 1}\; i}{x} - \frac{\sum\limits_{i = {{n{\lbrack k\rbrack}} + 1}}^{{n{\lbrack k\rbrack}} + x}\; i}{x}}$where k is used to identify the specific force sensor from which thedata is obtained, n[k] is the current point of data (i.e. the data attime t1) from the force sensor, x is a predetermined number of sampleswhich will be used to form each of the front window and the back window.In at least some embodiments, the predetermined number, x, is five.

After obtaining the difference, D, the processor may compare thedifference to one or more predetermined thresholds. In at least someembodiments, if the difference, D, is above the predetermined threshold,then a movement is determined to have occurred. In other embodiments, amovement may be detected based on other criteria. For example, in someembodiments, the rate of change of the difference, D, and/or themagnitude of the difference, D, may be compared to respective thresholdsto determine whether a movement has occurred. In at least someembodiments, a movement may also be categorized, by a processor, interms of the speed and size of the movement.

This determination may be performed separately for each force sensor 120a-120 h in a sensor set 150, 152. That is, the processor may analyzesensor data from each force sensor 120 a-120 h independently todetermine whether a movement has occurred. For example, in someembodiments, the difference, D, between the front window average and theback window average may be evaluated for each force sensor 120 a-120 hand each of these differences may be compared with one or morepredetermined thresholds. If any of the differences for the forcesensors 120 a-120 h in a sensor set 150 associated with a first occupantexceed the respective threshold, then the processor may determine thatthe first occupant has moved at the time t1. That is, if any of theforce sensors 120 a-120 h which are in the first sensor set 150 indicatethat a movement has occurred, then the processor may determine that theoccupant associated with the first sensor sent 150 has moved. Thisdetermination may be recorded in memory at 406. That is, movementinformation may be stored in memory at 406, which may be memoryassociated with the sleep system 100. For example, the processor mayupdate the memory to, for example, increment a movement counterassociated with the first sensor set 150 to indicate that the occupantassociated with the first sensor set 150 has moved. By way of furtherexample, in some embodiments, after determining that a movement hasoccurred, the processor may update the memory to indicate a timeassociated with the movement.

If, however, none of the differences for the force sensors 120 a-120 hin the sensor set 150 exceed the respective threshold (i.e. if none ofthe force sensors 120 a-120 h in the sensor set 150 indicate that amovement has occurred at time t1), then the processor determines that nomovement of the occupant associated with that sensor set 150 hasoccurred at the given time, t1. In some embodiments, at 406 theprocessor may update memory to store movement information whichindicates that a movement did not occur at time t1.

The movement determination described above may be performedindependently for each sensor set 150, 152. That is, sensor data fromthe force sensors 120 a-120 h associated with the first sensor set 150may be used to determine whether a first occupant has moved and sensordata from the force sensors 120 a-120 h associated with the secondsensor set 150 may be used to determine whether a second occupant hasmoved.

Additionally, while the method 400 described above generally refers to adetermination of movement at a single point in time, in practice, thesteps of the method may be repeated to determine whether a movement hasoccurred over the course of an extended period of time. For example, insome embodiments, a determination as to whether a movement has occurredmay be made for each sensor sample.

Furthermore, since a single movement may create a change in the forcereported at a force sensor for an extended period of time, to preventdouble recording of movements, in at least some embodiments, theprocessor may be configured to enforce one or more rules regarding themaximum number of movements that will be counted for each sensor set150, 152 within a given time frame. For example, in at least someembodiments, the processor may only permit one movement to be registeredfor each sensor set 150, 152 each second. In such embodiments, when amovement is detected at one of the sensor sets 150, 152, the processormay wait until the predetermined period of time (e.g. one second) hasexpired before it will permit another movement to be registered.

Thus, the method 400 may be used to identify movements of an occupantfrom data obtained from the force sensors 120 a-120 h.

Determine Sleep Stage and/or Whether Occupant is Awake

As noted above, in at least some embodiments, sleep state informationmay be determined by a processor based on data obtained from the forcesensors. This sleep state information is information about an occupant'ssleep. In some embodiments, this sleep state information may indicatewhether an occupant is asleep. In some embodiments, this sleep stateinformation may indicate the sleep stage of the occupant.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an example method 500 for determining suchsleep state information is illustrated. The method 500 may be used, forexample, to determine a sleep stage of the occupant of a mattress 101and/or to determine whether an occupant of the mattress 101 is eitherasleep or awake.

In at least some embodiments, the method 500 may include or be performedafter the method 400 of FIG. 4. That is, during the method 500 of FIG.5, the processor may use movement information to determine a sleep stageof an occupant and/or to determine whether the occupant is asleep orawake. That is, based on the frequency of movements of an occupant, thesleep stage and/or waking status of that occupant may be determined.

Accordingly, in at least some embodiments, the method 400 of FIG. 4 maybe performed to obtain movement information. As noted in the discussionof FIG. 4 above, during the performance of this method 400, movements ofan occupant are identified from data obtained from the force sensors.The steps 402, 404, 406 of the method 400 are described above withreference to FIG. 4.

At 502, the processor determines a frequency of movements. Morespecifically, the processor determines the amount of movements for anoccupant that have occurred within an epoch of a predetermined duration.That is, the processor may determine the amount of movements that haveoccurred within a predetermined period of time. By way of example, insome embodiments, this period of time may be one minute. In someembodiments, this period of time may be in the range of thirty secondsto one minute. Other ranges are possible in other embodiments.

The determination of the frequency of movements at 502 is performedbased on the movement information obtained during the method 400.

Then, at 504, the processor determines a sleep stage associated with theoccupant and/or whether the occupant is awake or sleeping. Thisdetermination may be made, for example, based on the frequency ofmovements determined at 502. More particularly, the processor maydetermine the sleep stage of the occupant by comparing the amount ofmovements of the occupant within the epoch to one or more predeterminedthresholds. The sleep stages may be the stages accepted by the AmericanAcademy of Sleep Medicine.

Similarly, in at least some embodiments, the processor may determine thewaking status (i.e. whether the occupant is awake or asleep) bycomparing the amount of movements of the occupant within the epoch toone or more predetermined thresholds.

In at least some embodiments, in determining a sleep stage which anoccupant is in during a given epoch and/or in determining a wakingstatus, the processor may either determine: 1) that the occupant isawake; 2) that the occupant is in a non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stage1 state; 3) that the occupant is in a NREM stage 2 state; 4) that theoccupant is in a NREM stage 3 state; or 5) that the occupant is in arapid eye movement (REM) state. These various states and the respectivethresholds associated with these states will now be described.

An awake state occurs when the occupant is not sleeping. During thisstate, the occupant's movement tends to have a higher relative frequencythan other states. Accordingly, the processor may determine that theoccupant was in a waking state during an epoch if the measure ofmovements of the occupant during the epoch exceeds a first predeterminedthreshold. The first predetermined threshold is relatively higher thanthe thresholds associated with the other states described below.

The NREM stage 1 state is a sleep stage which is between sleep andwakefulness. An occupant's muscles are active during this state and themovement of the occupant tends to be more frequent than in the REM, NREMstage 2, and NREM stage 3 states. The amount of movement is, however,typically less than in the waking state. Accordingly, the processor maydetermine that the occupant was in the NREM stage 1 state during theepoch if the measure of movements of the occupant during the epochexceeds a second predetermined threshold and is less than the firstpredetermined threshold associated with the waking state. The secondpredetermined threshold is relatively lower than the first predeterminedthreshold but is relatively higher than the thresholds associated withthe REM, NREM stage 2, and NREM stage 3 states.

REM sleep occurs when most muscles are paralyzed. Thus, the frequency ofmovements during REM sleep tends to be less than in the waking state andless than in the NREM stage 1 state, but more than in the NREM stage 2,and NREM stage 3 states. Accordingly, the processor may determine thatthe occupant was in the REM state during the epoch if the measure ofmovements of the occupant during the epoch exceeds a third predeterminedthreshold and is less than the second predetermined threshold associatedwith the NREM stage 1 state. The third predetermined threshold isrelatively lower than the first predetermined threshold and the secondpredetermined threshold but is relatively higher than the thresholdsassociated with the NREM stage 2, and NREM stage 3 states.

NREM stage 2 sleep is a period of theta activity, where it is difficultto awaken the occupant. NREM stage 2 sleep is typically characterized byless frequent movements than the waking, NREM stage 1 and REM states,but more frequent movements than in the NREM stage 3 state. Accordingly,the processor may determine that the occupant was in the NREM stage 2state during the epoch if the measure of movements of the occupantduring the epoch exceeds a fourth predetermined threshold and is lessthan the third predetermined threshold associated with the REM state.The fourth predetermined threshold is relatively lower than the first,second and third predetermined thresholds.

NREM stage 3 is a slow wave sleep (SWS) stage. During this stage, theoccupant is less responsive to the environment. This stage was formerlydivided into two stages—3 and 4. Accordingly, the NREM stage 3 state maybe referred to or separated into NREM stage 3 and NREM stage 4 states insome embodiments. NREM stage 3 sleep is typically characterized by lessfrequent movements than in the other sleep states referred to above.Accordingly, the processor may determine that the occupant was in theNREM stage 3 state during the epoch if the measure of movements of theoccupant during the epoch is less than the fourth predeterminedthreshold.

Accordingly, in at least some embodiments, four predetermined thresholdsmay be used to determine which of the five sleep states discussed abovean occupant is in during the epoch. It will be appreciated that adifferent number of thresholds may be used in other embodiments. Forexample, in some embodiments, the processor may be configured todetermine whether the occupant is either in: 1) an asleep state; or 2)an awake state. An asleep state may be a state in which the occupant iseither in the REM, NREM stage 2 or NREM stage 3 state. In someembodiments, the asleep state may also include the NREM stage 1 state.That is, if an occupant is in NREM stage 1, then they may be consideredto be asleep. In some embodiments, such relationships may be used todetermine that an occupant is asleep; for example, if the user is ineither the REM, NREM stage 2, NREM stage 3 (and in some embodiments NREMstage 1) states, then the processor may determine that the occupant isasleep. However, in other embodiments, the determination of whether anoccupant is asleep or awake may be performed in another manner. Forexample, a single threshold may be used in some embodiments. That is,the measure of movements of an occupant during an epoch may be comparedto this threshold, and if the movements exceed the threshold then theoccupant may be determined to be awake, but if the movements do notexceed the threshold then the occupant may be determined to be asleep.

Accordingly, in at least some embodiments, at 504, the processor maydetermine sleep state information which indicates whether the occupantis asleep during an epoch and/or a stage of sleep which the occupant wasin during the epoch. Such sleep state information may be stored inmemory associated with the sleep system 100, output to a displayassociated with the sleep system 100 or an associated device or system(such as a mobile device), etc. For example, in some embodiments, asleep log may be updated and/or created. The log may indicate the timeat which a user fell asleep, woke up, entered each stage of sleep and/orexited each stage of sleep.

The method 500 may be repeatedly performed to track such informationover a prolonged period of time; for example, throughout the night.

The method 500 may be independently performed for each occupant. Thatis, for each sensor set 150, 152 that is associated with a differentoccupant, the method 500 may be independently performed so that, foreach occupant, the processor independently determines the sleep stagewhich that occupant is in and/or whether that occupant is asleep.

In some embodiments, other information may be used instead of or inaddition to the movement information described above to predict thesleep stage of an occupant. For example, in some embodiments, bodytemperature, heart rate and/or respiration rate may be used to predictthe sleep stage of the occupant. Accordingly, the processor may beconfigured to determine the sleep state information based on temperaturereadings, heart rate, respiration rate, and/or other information, insome embodiments.

In some embodiments, at 506 an alarm associated with an alarm clockfunction may be triggered based on the sleep stage of the occupant. Moreparticularly, an input interface provided on the sleep system 100 or ona device connected to the sleep system (such as a mobile device) may beused to allow an occupant to input timing information associated withthe alarm. The timing information may, for example, indicate an idealtime when the user would prefer to wake up, a latest time when the userwould like to wake up and/or a range of times during which the userwould like to wake up. A wakeup window may be determined from suchinformation by the processor. The wakeup window is the range of timesduring which an alarm will be triggered to wake up the occupant. Theprocessor then uses the sleep stage information to predict the timeduring the wakeup window when the occupant will be in the lightest stageof sleep. An alarm may then be triggered at the predicted time. Thealarm may, for example, be an audible, visual and/or vibratory alarmwhich may be produced through an output interface of the sleep system100, such as a speaker or vibratory device (such as a vibration motorwhich may be embedded into the mattress on one of the sides of themattress and which could be used for waking one occupant but not theother occupant i.e. it may be located at or near one side but away fromthe other side and each side may have a separate vibration motor, eachassociated with a separate one of the occupants), or through an outputinterface of a connected peripheral or device, such as a mobile device.

As noted above, in some embodiments, the mattress 101 may be configuredfor two occupants. In such embodiments, the sleep state of bothoccupants may be used by the processor when selecting a time fortriggering the alarm during the wakeup window. For example, in someembodiments, the processor may determine a time when the occupants willcollectively be in their lightest sleeps states. By way of example, thisdetermination may be made by assigning scores to each of the sleepstages, with the lowest score representing the lightest stage of sleepand the highest the deepest sleep. A joint sleep score could be definedas the sleep score of all occupants of the mattress 101. Then, theprocessor may select a time for triggering the alarm by finding the timewithin the wakeup window that minimizes the joint sleep score.

Alternatively, in some embodiments where the mattress 101 is configuredfor use by two occupants, one of the occupants may be selected by theprocessor for the purposes of triggering the alarm. For example, in someembodiments, one of the occupants may be selected by determining whichof the occupants had a worse sleep. In some embodiments, the alarm maythen be triggered based on the sleep stage of the occupant having therelatively worse sleep. The occupant having a relatively worse sleep maybe the occupant who: slept the least, woke up the most, had a lowersleep score, etc. Example methods of determining a sleep score for anoccupant will be discussed in greater detail below.

In some embodiments, the alarm, once triggered may be shut off when theprocessor detects that one of the occupants gets off the bed. In someembodiments, the alarm, once triggered may be shut off when theprocessor detects that all of the occupants got off the bed. Theprocessor may determine whether an occupant has gotten off the bed basedon data obtained from the force sensors. For example, when the forcesensors 120 a-120 h indicate forces below one or more thresholds, thenthe processor may determine that the occupant has gotten off the bed andmay stop the alarm.

In some embodiments, the force sensors 120 a-120 h may also be used asan input interface which allows an occupant of the mattress 101 to inputan instruction to the processor to instruct the processor to enable asnooze function of the alarm (or to input another instruction). Forexample, the processor may be configured to recognize one or moregestures which may be performed by movement of the occupant's body andwhich may be detected using data from one or more of the force sensors120 a-120 h. By way of example, one possible gesture may involve a userbriefly lifting one or more limbs (such as a leg) and then forcefullyplacing that limb back onto the mattress. Such a gesture may, forexample, be interpreted as a snooze command.

The sleep stage information which is determined according to the method500 of FIG. 5 may have other uses instead of or in addition to thealarm. For example, in some embodiments, at 508, sleep onset latency maybe determined. The sleep onset latency is a measure of the differencebetween the time when an occupant attempted to fall asleep and the timewhen that occupant fell asleep (which may be determined at step 504).The time when the occupant attempted to fall asleep may be determinedbefore 508 and this step is not specifically illustrated in FIG. 5. Byway of example, it may be determined after step 402 of FIG. 5.

The time when an occupant attempted to fall asleep is, in at least someembodiments, the time when the occupant went to bed. The time when anoccupant went to bed is the time when the occupant laid on the mattressafter having previously not been on the mattress. This time may beidentified by the processor based on data from the force sensors 120a-120 h. That is, when an occupant goes to bed (i.e. lays on themattress 101), the processor identifies a large increase in the forcemeasured on at least some of the force sensors (i.e. it detects presenceof the occupant). Thus, the processor may determine that an occupantenters the bed when the force measured at a predetermined number of theforce sensors 120 a-120 h exceeds a predetermined threshold. In at leastsome embodiments, the force sensors 120 a-120 h may be calibrated sothat when the sleep system 100 has no occupants, the force readings fromeach of the force sensors 120 a-120 h may be zero.

In some embodiments, a further check may be performed to confirm thatthe change in force was due to an occupant entering the mattress andnot, for example, due to an object being placed on the mattress. Forexample, a temperature may be obtained from a temperature sensor 122 andcompared to a threshold to determine that an occupant has entered themattress. Furthermore, in at least some embodiments, the processor mayrequire that at least a predetermined number of force sensors areengaged (e.g. are registering forces which exceed one or morethresholds) and/or may require that specific force sensors are engagedbefore determining that an occupant has entered the mattress. Forexample, if an upper body force sensor registers a force which exceeds apredetermined threshold, but a middle body force sensor does notregister a force which exceeds a predetermined threshold, then theprocessor may determine that the occupant has not yet entered the bed;the force registered at the upper body force sensor may be caused by anobject apart from a human occupant.

In some embodiments, to determine the time when the occupant attemptedto fall asleep, the processor may also consult data from the lightsensor 336 (FIG. 3). As noted in the discussion of FIG. 3 above, in someembodiments, the sleep system 100 may include or be associated with alight sensor 336. In some such embodiments, this light sensor 336 may beused to identify the time when a user attempted to fall asleep. That is,in some embodiments, the processor may determine that an occupant hasattempted to fall asleep when at least the following two conditions aresatisfied: 1) the user has entered the mattress (methods for determiningwhether the occupant has entered the mattress are described immediatelyabove); and 2) the light measured at the light sensor 336 is less than apredetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold may, for example,be a threshold which indicates that the main source of artificiallighting in the room containing the mattress has been turned off or thatall sources of artificial lighting are turned off.

After determining that an occupant has attempted to fall asleep and/orentered the mattress, the processor may store, in memory associated withthe sleep system, timing information to indicate the time when theoccupant first entered the mattress and/or first attempted to fallasleep. This timing information may then be retrieved at 508 and used todetermine sleep onset latency. More particularly, the difference betweenthe time when the occupant fell asleep (as determined at 504) and thetime when that occupant attempted to fall asleep may be determined, andthis elapsed time is the sleep onset latency.

The determination of the sleep onset latency may be performedindependently for each occupant of the mattress 101.

The sleep onset latency, which is a further type of sleep stateinformation, may be stored in memory of the sleep system 100. The sleeponset information may, in at least some embodiments, be used todetermine a sleep score associated with an occupant and/or to determinewhether the occupant suffers from a sleep disorder, such as insomnia.Techniques for determining a sleep score and detecting sleep disordersare described below.

In at least some embodiments, a sleep offset latency (which may also bereferred to as wake latency) may be determined by the processorassociated with the sleep system 100 or an associated device. This may,in some embodiments, be performed at 508 of FIG. 5. The sleep offsetlatency is a measure of the amount of time an occupant remains in bedafter they wake up. For example, the processor may determine the elapsedtime between when the occupant woke up (e.g. when they are no longer inone of the sleep stages in which they are considered to be “asleep”) andwhen the occupant got out of bed (which may be determined from the forcesensors and/or the light sensor 336 (e.g. if a light is turned on, insome embodiments, the occupant may be considered to have gotten out ofbed since the occupant is no longer actively trying to sleep).

Heart Rate Determination

Due to the principle of ballistocardiography, the pumping of the heartcauses oscillatory body motion and mechanical forces to be produced.This force can be measured using the force sensors 120 a-120 h over timeand a heart rate determined.

Referring now to FIG. 6, one such example method 600 is illustrated.

At 602, data is obtained from one or more of the force sensor(s) and maybe stored in memory. This feature may, for example, be performedtogether with step 402 of FIGS. 4 and 5 and may be performed in themanner described with reference to step 402. Since heart rate istypically between 0.5 to 4 Hz, the data may be obtained at 602 at afrequency that is greater than 4 Hz. For example, in at least someembodiments, samples may be obtained at 602 at a rate of 10 Hz.

At 604, the processor determines, from the data obtained from the one ormore force sensors, a heart rate for an occupant. The heart rate may,for example, be determined based on data from the upper body forcesensors, which are described above with reference to FIG. 1. Morespecifically, in at least some embodiments the lower body force sensorsare not used for the determination of the heart rate. Furthermore, in atleast some embodiments, the middle body force sensors are not used forthe determination of the heart rate.

To determine the heart rate (at 604), the processor may filter out largechanges in force measured at the force sensors 120 a-120 h which arecaused by movement of an occupant. Voluntary body movement typicallyoccurs in the frequency range of 0.25-4 Hz, which overlaps with theheart rate frequency range, so these signals must be discriminated.Changes in force measured at the force sensors that are caused when anoccupant shifts positions tend to be greater in magnitude than thechanges caused by the occupant's breathing or heart activity. Thisfiltering may be done by comparing the change in force to one or morepredetermined thresholds. The processor may also perform smoothing onthe data obtained at 602, and may filter out lower frequency components,such as a component caused by respiration or movement, which will bedescribed in greater detail below. Filtering of the frequency to removefrequencies outside of the range of the heart rate (0.5-4 Hz) may bedone using linear cut-off filters or bandpass filters designed based onWindow functions. Furthermore, the data may be smoothed, amplified, orotherwise processed to obtain a high quality heart rate signal. Theheart rate can be extracted using a variety of techniques that candetect the peaks in the data, which can be used to find the interpeakseparation and hence the heart rate. Peak detection can be done in avariety of ways such as detection of local minima or maxima in a movingwindow or by using a fast fourier transform (FFT) and examining theharmonics. The heart rate may be determined at predetermined intervalsto obtain heart rate information for an extended period of time and tomonitor for changes in the heart rate.

In at least some embodiments, the heart rate may be stored in memory at606. The heart rate may, for example, be used to determine sleep stateinformation for the occupant. For example, the heart rate may be used todetermine a sleep stage of the occupant. The heart rate may, in someembodiments, be used by a processor associated with the sleep system oran associated device for evaluating other health related issues. Forexample, in some embodiments, a heart rate variability (HRV) may bedetermined by the processor. This HRV may be stored in memory. In someembodiments, the HRV may be used by a processor to detect otherconditions. For example, a lower than normal HRV may be indicative ofheart failure, diabetic neuropath, depression, post-traumatic stressdisorder (PTSD), stress, susceptibility to sudden infant death syndrome,etc. HRV can also be related to having sleep apnea. Thus, in at leastsome embodiments, the HRV may be compared, by a processor, to one ormore predetermined thresholds to determine whether an occupant has, islikely to have and/or is susceptible to any one or more of theseconditions. Faster resting heart is a risk factor for cardiovascularmortality and can be an indicator of a heart attack. It may also be usedto detect arrhythmias and other heart rate abnormalities. Accordingly,in some embodiments, a processor may use the heart rate to determinewhether an occupant has, is likely to have and/or is susceptible to:cardiovascular mortality, heart attacks, arrhythmias, and/or heart rateabnormalities.

It will be appreciated that the method 600 may be performedindependently for each occupant of the mattress. For example, the forcesensors in the first sensor set 150 may be used to determine the heartrate of a first occupant and the force sensors in the second sensor set152 may be used to determine the heart rate of a second occupant.

Respiration Rate Determination

In at least some embodiments, the processor may be configured todetermine a respiration rate of the occupant based on data obtained fromthe force sensors. Referring now to FIG. 7, one such example method 700is illustrated.

At 702, data is obtained from one or more of the force sensor(s) and maybe stored in memory. This feature may, for example, be performedtogether with step 402 of FIGS. 4 and 5 and/or step 602 of FIG. 6 andmay be performed in the manner described with reference to step 402.Since respiration rate is typically between 0.1 to 0.5 Hz, the data maybe obtained at 702 at a rate that is greater than 0.5 Hz. For example,in at least some embodiments, samples may be obtained at 702 at a rateof 10 Hz.

At 704, the processor determines, from the data obtained from the one ormore force sensors, a respiration rate for an occupant. The respirationrate may, for example, be determined based on data from the upper bodyforce sensors, which are described above with reference to FIG. 1. Morespecifically, in at least some embodiments the lower body force sensorsare not used for the determination of the respiration rate.

To determine the respiration rate (at 704), the processor may filter outlarge changes in force measured at the force sensors 120 a-120 h whichare caused by movement of an occupant. Voluntary body movement typicallyoccurs in the frequency range of 0.25-4 Hz, which may overlap with therespiration rate frequency range, so these signals are discriminated.Changes that are caused when an occupant shifts positions tend to begreater in magnitude than the changes caused by the occupant's breathingor heart activity. This filtering may be done by comparing the change inforce to one or more predetermined thresholds. The processor may alsoperform smoothing on the data obtained at 702, and may filter out higherfrequency components, such as movement components and may, in someembodiments, filter out higher frequency components, such as a componentcaused by heart activity. Filtering of the frequency to removefrequencies outside of the range of the respiration rate (0.1-0.5 Hz)may be done using linear cut-off filters or bandpass filters designedbased on Window functions. As noted above, respiration rate is typicallyin the range of 0.1-0.5 Hz and heart rate is typically in the range of0.5-4 Hz. These ranges may be used to separate the respiration componentfrom the heart rate component. For example, one or more thresholds maybe established based on these ranges to separate the heart ratecomponent from the respiration component. Furthermore, the data may besmoothed, amplified, or otherwise processed to obtain a high qualityrespiration rate signal. The respiration rate can be extracted using avariety of techniques that can detect the peaks in the data, which canbe used to find the interpeak separation and hence the respiration rate.Peak detection can be done in a variety of ways such as detection oflocal minima or maxima in a moving window or by using a fast fouriertransform (FFT) and examining the harmonics. The respiration rate may bedetermined at predetermined intervals to obtain respiration rateinformation for an extended period of time and to monitor for changes inthe respiration rate.

In at least some embodiments, the respiration rate may be stored inmemory at 706. The respiration rate may, for example, be used todetermine sleep state information for the occupant. For example, as willbe described in greater detail below, the respiration rate may be usedto determine whether the occupant has a sleep disorder. For example, insome embodiments, a processor may consider the respiration rate whendetermining whether an occupant has sleep apnea.

It will be appreciated that the method 700 may be performedindependently for each occupant of the mattress. For example, the forcesensors in the first sensor set 150 may be used to determine therespiration rate of a first occupant and the force sensors in the secondsensor set 152 may be used to determine the respiration rate of a secondoccupant.

Sleep Position Monitoring

In at least some embodiments, the processor may be configured todetermine sleep state information which identifies a sleep position ofan occupant of the mattress 101 (such information may also be referredto as sleep position information). In at least some embodiments, theprocessor may be configured to determine the most common sleep positionof the occupant.

In at least some embodiments, the processor may be configured torecognize predetermined common sleep positions. In some embodiments,these positions may include: a fetus position, a freefall position, alog position, a yearner position, a solider position and a starfishposition. The characteristics of these positions are described below.The processor may be configured to identify other positions instead ofor in addition to these positions in other embodiments.

In the fetus position, the occupant sleeps on their side in a curled upposition. At least one of the occupant's hands is resting near theirchin. The fetus is the most common sleep position. More particularly,approximately 41% of people sleep in the fetus position. Thus, theprobability that a given occupant will prefer the fetus position isapproximately 41%.

The freefall position is a position in which the occupant lies on theirstomach with their hands typically elevated, so that they are near theoccupant's head. The occupant's head is typically turned to one side.Approximately 7% of people sleep in the freefall position, and so theprobability that a given occupant will prefer the freefall position isapproximately 7%.

The log position is characterized by the occupant lying on their sidewith both arms down by their side. The back and legs of the occupant aregenerally straight in the log position. Approximately 15% of peoplesleep in the log position, and so the probability that a given occupantwill prefer the log position is approximately 15%.

The yearner position is a position in which the occupant sleeps on theirside with both arms extended in front of them (i.e. the arms are not atthe side of the occupant's body but instead extend in a direction whichis generally perpendicular to the occupant's torso). Approximately 13%of people sleep in the yearner position and so the probability that agiven occupant will prefer the yearner position is 13%.

The soldier position is a position in which the occupant lies on theirback with both arms at their sides. That is, the arms are generallyparallel to the torso and typically rest on the mattress. Approximately8% of people sleep in the soldier position and so the probability that agiven occupant will prefer the soldier position is 8%.

The starfish position is a position in which the occupant lies on theirback with both arms up around their pillow. That is, the occupant'shands are generally near their head. Approximately 5% of people are saidto sleep in the soldier position and so the probability that a givenoccupant will prefer the starfish position is 5%.

The various sleep positions described above may create different forcedistributions across the force sensors 120 a-120 h. Thus, the sleepposition of an occupant may be determined, by the processor, byexamining the distribution of forces across the force sensors.

More particularly, memory 372 associated with the processor 117 maystore characteristic information associated with each of a plurality ofsleep positions which the processor is configured to identify. Thischaracteristic information may represent a force distribution patternfor each position. Referring to FIG. 8, which illustrates a method 800of determining sleep position (i.e. determining “sleep positioninformation”), the processor may obtain data at 802 from the forcesensors 120 a-120 h in the manner described above with reference to step402 of FIG. 4. This data may be used at 804 to determine the sleepposition represented by the data. More particularly, the processor maycompare the data obtained from the force sensor(s) with thecharacteristic information to determine the sleep position associatedwith the occupant. That is, the processor may determine which one of aplurality of predetermined common sleep positions are represented by thesensor data obtained from the force sensors in a sensor set. Thisdetermination may be performed independently for each sensor set so thatthe sleep position of each occupant may be separately determined.

In at least some embodiments, in determining the sleep position, theprocessor may consider other data in addition to the force distributionsrepresented in the sensor data. For example, the processor may considerthe relative probabilities of each sleep position occurring for anoccupant. As noted above, certain sleep positions are more common thanothers in the general population. This information (i.e. the probabilityof a random occupant using each sleep position) may, in someembodiments, be considered by the processor when determining the sleepposition. For example, in some embodiments, where the distribution offorces does not clearly suggest a specific position (i.e. where theresult of this analysis suggests that the occupant may be in one of atleast two positions), then the probability information may be used toresolve the ambiguity. For example, the freefall position and thestarfish position may produce similar force distributions. Thus, in somecircumstances, the force distribution analysis may suggest that theoccupant is either in the freefall position or the starfish position,but the force distribution analysis may not clearly indicate which ofthese two positions are being used. In some embodiments, the processormay resolve this ambiguity by determining that the freefall position isbeing used, since this position is more common in the generalpopulation.

The sleep position of a user may be stored, as sleep state information,in memory associated with the sleep system 100 at 806.

The sleep position of the occupant may be determined repeatedly toaccount for changes in the occupant's sleep position. In someembodiments, the sleep position may be determined periodically. In someembodiments, the sleep position may be re-determined in response tochanges in force distributions observed at the force sensors 120 a-120h. Other triggers may be used to cause the sleep position to bere-determined in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, timing information may be associated with thedetermined sleep position. That is, the processor may record, in memory,a time at which an occupant entered and/or exited a sleep position. Insome embodiments, this timing information may be used to determine anoccupant's most common sleep position over an extended period of time,such as a week, a month, a year, etc.

In at least some embodiments, after the most common sleep position hasbeen determined, it may be recorded in memory as sleep stateinformation. In some embodiments, this sleep position may be output viaan output interface associated with the sleep system 100. For example,in some embodiments, the sleep position may be displayed on a displayassociated with the sleep system. In some embodiments, the display maybe provided on the sleep system itself and in other embodiments, thedisplay may be provided on a mobile device 1200 which is connected tothe sleep system.

Detection of Sleep Disorder(s)

In some embodiments, one or more of the processors associated with thesleep system 100 may be configured to detect one or more sleepdisorders. A detected sleep disorder may, for example, be a type ofsleep state information that is determined by the sleep system 100.

Referring now to FIG. 9, an example of a method 900 for detecting asleep disorder is illustrated. At 902, data is obtained from one or moreof the sensors associated of the sleep system 100. For example, data maybe obtained from the force sensors 120 a-120 h, the temperaturesensor(s) 122, the humidity sensor(s) 122, the microphone 334, or any ofthe other sensors described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. Aswill be understood from the discussion of the various sleep disordersbelow, the specific sensors from which data will be obtained will dependon the specific sleep disorders which the sleep system 100 is configuredto detect. The data may, for example, be stored in memory associatedwith the sleep system 100.

At 904, the sleep system detects a sleep disorder. Techniques fordetecting sleep disorders are described below and vary based on thespecific disorder being detected.

In at least some embodiments, at 906, the one or more processors may beconfigured to trigger an alert via an output interface associated withthe sleep system when one or more of the sleep disorders are detected.For example, the alert may be provided on a display 390 (FIG. 3) of thesleep system 100 and/or on a display 1290 (FIG. 12) of a mobile device1200 (FIG. 12) associated with the sleep system.

In at least some embodiments, the alert may only be triggered if thesleep disorder appears to exist for a predetermined number of nights.For example, in some embodiments, the alert will be triggered only ifthe processor detects the sleep disorder for an occupant for aconsecutive number of nights.

Various sleep disorders which may be detected by the sleep system 100will now be described. The sleep system 100 may be configured to detectany one or more of the sleep disorders described below and anycombinations thereof.

Insomnia Detection

In at least some embodiments, the one or more processor(s) may beconfigured to detect insomnia. Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which theoccupant has an inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep as long asdesired.

In at least some embodiments, insomnia may be detected at step 904 ofthe method 900 of FIG. 9 by one or more processors associated with thesleep system 100 based on sleep onset latency for an occupant. A method500 for determining sleep onset latency is described in greater detailabove with reference to FIG. 5 and, in particular, with reference tostep 508.

In at least some embodiments, sleep onset latency may be compared (at904 of the method 900 of FIG. 9) to a predetermined threshold todetermine whether the occupant has insomnia. The predetermined thresholdmay effectively indicate a sleep onset latency which is considered toolong. In some embodiments, if the threshold is exceeded (i.e. if ittakes too long for the occupant to fall asleep), then the processor maydetermine that occupant may have insomnia. In at least some embodiments,the processor may quantify the likelihood that the occupant has insomniabased on the sleep onset latency.

Other indicators of insomnia may be used instead of or in addition tothe sleep onset latency in order to detect insomnia. For example, insome embodiments, the sleep efficiency score (which will be described ingreater detail below) may be considered. In some embodiments, the numberof awakenings may be considered. That is, the number of times anoccupant wakes up over a period of time (such as a night) may be used todetermine whether the occupant has insomnia. The number of awakeningsmay be tracked using the techniques described above with reference toFIG. 5. For example, during step 504 of the method 500 of FIG. 5, if theprocessor detects that the occupant has woken up, a wakeup counter maybe incremented. This wakeup counter may then be used to determinewhether the occupant has insomnia. The wakeup counter may be reset uponoccurrence of a condition; for example, the wakeup counter may be resetafter the occupant has ceased resting on the mattress for at least apredetermined period of time. Generally, a higher number of wakings isinterpreted as a higher likelihood of insomnia.

In at least some embodiments, the techniques for detecting insomniadescribed above may be used by one or more of the processors to generatean insomnia likelihood score which indicates the likelihood that theoccupant has insomnia. In at least some embodiments, this insomnialikelihood score may be expressed as a probability. In some embodiments,if the insomnia likelihood score exceeds a threshold, then the processormay determine that an occupant has insomnia.

Narcolepsy Detection

In at least some embodiments, the one or more processor(s) may beconfigured to detect narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder in whicha person has an extreme tendency to fall asleep. More specifically,narcolepsy is a neurological disorder which is caused by the brain'sinability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally.

In at least some embodiments, narcolepsy may be detected at step 904 ofthe method 900 of FIG. 9 by one or more processors associated with thesleep system 100 based on sleep onset latency for an occupant. A method500 for determining sleep onset latency is described in greater detailabove with reference to FIG. 5 and, in particular, with reference tostep 508.

In at least some embodiments, sleep onset latency may be compared to oneor more predetermined thresholds to determine whether the occupant hasnarcolepsy. The predetermined threshold may effectively indicate a sleeponset latency which is considered too short. In some embodiments, if thesleep onset latency is less than the threshold (i.e. if it takes toolittle time for the occupant to fall asleep), then the processor maydetermine that occupant may have narcolepsy. By way of example, athreshold of 10 minutes may be used in some embodiments. In otherembodiments, a threshold of 5 minutes may be used. In yet furtherembodiments, multiple thresholds (e.g. 5 minutes and 10 minutes) may beused and each of these thresholds may suggest likelihood that theoccupant has narcolepsy. For example, if the sleep onset latency isbelow the lower threshold (e.g. 5 minutes), then the processor maydetermine that it is more likely that the occupant has narcolepsy thanif the sleep onset latency is between the lower threshold and the higherthreshold (e.g. 10 minutes), which also signifies a possibility ofnarcolepsy. Accordingly, in at least some embodiments, the processor mayquantify the likelihood that the occupant has narcolepsy based on thesleep onset latency. For example, the likelihood that the occupant hasnarcolepsy may be expressed as a probability.

Other indicators of narcolepsy may be used instead of or in addition tothe sleep onset latency in order to detect narcolepsy. For example, insome embodiments, the processor may identify the average time for theoccupant to transition from NREM stage 1 sleep to REM sleep and may usethis average time to detect narcolepsy. For example, if the average timeis less than a threshold (e.g. 20 minutes), then the processor maydetermine that the occupant likely has narcolepsy. The times at whichthe occupant entered and exited sleep stages may be determined in themanner described above with reference to FIG. 5.

Similarly, the amount of time an occupant spends in NREM stage 1 beforeprogressing to the next sleep stage may also be considered by theprocessor when detecting narcolepsy. For example, if the average timespent in a NREM stage 1 cycle is is less than a predetermined threshold,then the processor may determine that the occupant likely has narcolepsy(i.e. it may detect narcolepsy).

In at least some embodiments, the techniques for detecting narcolepsydescribed above may be used by one or more of the processors to generatea narcolepsy likelihood score which indicates the likelihood that theoccupant has narcolepsy. In at least some embodiments, this narcolepsylikelihood score may be expressed as a probability. In some embodiments,if the narcolepsy likelihood score exceeds a threshold, then theprocessor may determine that an occupant has narcolepsy.

Sleep Apnea Detection

In at least some embodiments, one or more of the processor(s) may beconfigured to detect sleep apnea at step 904 of the method 900 of FIG.9. In some embodiments, the processor may further be configured todetect a sleep apnea classification type. Sleep apnea is a sleepdisorder in which an occupant experiences pauses in breathing orinstances of infrequent or shallow breathing during sleep. The pausesmay be referred to as apnea and the abnormally shallow breathing eventsmay be referred to as hypoapnea.

Sleep apnea may, in some embodiments, be classified as eitherobstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or central sleep apnea (CSA). That is, aprocessor may determine whether an occupant of the sleep system 100suffers from OSA and/or whether the occupant of the sleep system 100suffers from CSA.

OSA is more common than CSA. Central sleep apnea is a neurologicalcondition which occurs when a person's brain does not send theappropriate signals to the muscles which control breathing. This may becontrasted with OSA which is caused due to an obstruction of the upperairway.

In at least some embodiments, sound may be used by a processor to detectsleep apnea. More particularly, in at least some embodiments, anelectrical signal (which may be referred to as an audio signal)representing received sound waves may be generated by a microphone 334associated with the sleep system 100. Based on this electrical signal, aprocessor may determine whether an occupant has sleep apnea. In at leastsome embodiments, the processor may determine whether the electricalsignal includes snoring and/or gasping events. In at least someembodiments, the processor may perform audio processing on theelectrical signal to distinguish non-apnea snoring (i.e. snoring whichis not caused by sleep apnea, which may be referred to as normalsnoring) from apnea-caused snoring (i.e. from snoring caused by sleepapnea). The signal from the microphone is, in at least some embodiments,converted into the frequency domain through the use data processingtechniques such as fast Fourier transforms, wavelet analysis, or linearpredictive coding. Cut off filters and bandpass filters may be used tonarrow the frequency range, such as 70-2000 Hz, where snoring andbreathing typically occur. Numerous techniques can be used by aprocessor to identify snoring/breathing sounds that are characteristicof OSA or CSA. For example, the data can be characterized with aspectral envelope determined using linear prediction autoregressivemodeling. Formant frequencies can be determined by finding the localmaxima of the spectra envelope. The formant frequencies of OSA patientstypically have greater variability in both snoring and breathing, soidentifying these frequencies can be used by the processor to determinethe presence of OSA. Other techniques involve looking at the frequencycharacteristics of the snoring. Simple snoring has a spectrumcharacterized by a fundamental frequency with harmonics, whereas OSAsnoring has a spectrum centered around a fundamental frequency withoutharmonics. To distinguish between these two types of snoring, in someembodiments, the processor may consider the ratio of the power above 800Hz to the power below 800 Hz in the electrical signal generated by themicrophone. OSA snoring typically produces sound with higher power above800 Hz, so ratios greater than one may represent OSA in someembodiments. Identification of intra-snoring pitch jumps can also beindicative of OSA. Also, OSA snoring typically has peak intensity above1000 Hz, while simple snoring typically has a peak intensity between100-300 Hz. Other techniques may utilize hidden Markov models or higherorder statistics for analysis of the sound data to determinesnoring/breathing sounds and those that are distinct for OSA. Thus, inat least some embodiments, the processor may detect apnea events in theaudio signal. In at least some embodiments, an apnea event may becharacterized by loud snoring or gasping followed by a quiet period oftwenty to thirty seconds in duration and the processor may analyze theaudio signal to detect such characteristics.

Apnea events typically occur when an occupant is in certain stages ofsleep. More particularly, apnea events typically occur during NREM stage3 and REM sleep. In some embodiments, to reduce audio processing and/orto improve the accuracy of the detection, the processor may beconfigured to consider the sleep stage of the occupant in the sleepapnea analysis. For example, the sleep stage of the occupant may bedetermined in the manner described above with reference to the method500 of FIG. 5, and in particular with reference to step 504, and may beused to facilitate the detection of sleep apnea. In at least someembodiments, sleep stage information may be used, by the processor, toidentify periods of interest within the audio signal. The periods ofinterest are periods in which sleep apnea is more likely to occur. In atleast some embodiments, the periods of interest may be periods where theoccupant has been determined to be in either NREM stage 3 or REM sleep.

The identification of periods of interest may be done before processingthe audio signal (which may reduce the amount of processing) or may bedone after the audio is processed (in which case the audio processingmay not be reduced, but the accuracy of the detection may be improved).Where the periods of interest are identified before the audio signal isprocessed, the processor may analyze portions of the audio signalcorresponding to the periods of interest but may ignore the portions ofthe audio signal that do not correspond to the periods of interest. If,instead, the audio processing is done after the audio signal is analyzed(e.g. after the processor has already identified possible apnea events),then in some embodiments the periods of interest may be used to filterthese apnea events. For example, an apnea event identified during thesleep analysis may be determined by the processor to be a non-apneaevent if it did not occur during a period of interest.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the occupant's respiratory ratepatterns may be used by a processor in the sleep apnea detection. Apneaepisodes have distinct breathing patterns—in OSA, typically shallowbreathing or a pause in breathing for a period from seconds to minuteswill occur, followed by a large gasp, followed by a return to normalbreathing until the next apnea episode. Shallow breathing or nobreathing will manifest as a lower than normal respiration amplitudepossibly paired with inconsistent or lower respiration rates, while agasp will produce a larger than normal respiration amplitude. Identifythis unique patterns of breathing can be used to identify apnea events.No breathing will result in a zero respiration rate. Force sensors canbe used to confirm that the occupant is still in bed during periods ofzero respiration. In CSA, the occupant's respiratory rate will be zerofor period of time, followed by a return to normal breathing. Therespiratory rate may be determined in the manner described above withreference to the method 700 of FIG. 7. The respiratory rate may be usedto correlate the audio in the audio signal to the occupant's breathingpattern. The audio signal and respiration rate may be used together todistinguish normal breathing/snoring from OSA and CSA. The number ofapnea events is tabulated over a period of time to determine theseverity of the disorder.

In some embodiments, the respiratory rate may also be used by aprocessor to identify which of two occupants is snoring. Moreparticularly, since the audio signal may contain sleep apnea events(such as snoring and/or gasping) associated with more than one occupant,in some embodiments, the audio signal may be co-related to therespiration rate to select the occupant who is likely associated withthe sleep apnea event.

In some embodiments, a single apnea event may not, itself, cause theprocessor to determine that the occupant has sleep apnea. For example,in some embodiments, the processor will count the number of sleep apneaevents and will only determine that sleep apnea has been detected if atleast a predetermined number of sleep apnea events are detected. In someembodiments, the processor will detect sleep apnea when at least apredetermined number of sleep apnea events are detected over apredetermined period of time. For example, in one embodiment, sleepapnea may be detected if five or more sleep apnea events are detected inan hour. This is known as the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and is ameasure of how often an individual suffering from OSA stops breathingover a certain amount of sleep time (usually per one hour of sleeptime). Measurements of AHI under 5 are normal, 5-15 is mild, 15-30 ismoderate, and above 30 is severe.

In some embodiments, other information may also be used by the processorto detect sleep apnea. For example, in some embodiments, the processormay determine a sleep apnea risk level associated with an occupant andmay use the sleep apnea risk level when detecting sleep apnea. The sleepapnea risk level may, for example, be determined by the processor basedon one more occupant characteristics defined in a user profile for theoccupant. The user profile may be input to the sleep system 100 and/oran associated device (such as a mobile device) using an input interfacesuch as a keyboard. After this information is input, it may be stored inmemory 372 associated with the sleep system or device. The occupantcharacteristics used in the sleep apnea sleep apnea determination may,for example, include the age, weight, physical fitness level, heightand/or sex of the occupant. In some embodiments, the occupantcharacteristics include an indication of whether the occupant suffersfrom dry mouth and/or morning headaches, since these are both factorsthat may be related to sleep apnea.

Thus, the occupant characteristics may be used to determine a sleepapnea risk level of the occupant and the sleep apnea risk level may beused when determining whether the occupant has sleep apnea. The greaterthe sleep apnea risk level, the more likely the occupant will bedetermined to have sleep apnea.

In at least some embodiments, the techniques for detecting sleep apneadescribed above may be used by one or more of the processors to generatea sleep apnea likelihood score which indicates the likelihood that theoccupant has sleep apnea. In at least some embodiments, this sleep apnealikelihood score may be expressed as a probability. In some embodiments,if the sleep apnea likelihood score exceeds a threshold, then theprocessor may determine that an occupant has sleep apnea.

Bruxism Detection

In at least some embodiments, the one or more processor(s) may beconfigured to detect sleep bruxism. Bruxism is a disorder in which aperson excessively grinds their teeth and/or excessively clenches theirjaw. Sleep bruxism is a form of bruxism that occurs during sleep.

In at least some embodiments, sleep bruxism may be detected at step 904of the method 900 of FIG. 9 by one or more processors associated withthe sleep system 100. In at least some embodiments, sound may be used bya processor to detect bruxism. More particularly, in at least someembodiments, an electrical signal (which may be referred to as an audiosignal) representing received sound waves may be generated by amicrophone 334 associated with the sleep system 100. Based on thiselectrical signal, a processor may determine whether an occupant hasbruxism. In at least some embodiments, the processor may determinewhether the electrical signal includes teeth grinding events. Theidentification of bruxism by the processor may involve a pattern-basedanalysis. More particularly, the processor may compare the audiorepresented in the audio signal to a typical pattern resulting frombruxism.

Based on the audio-analysis, the processor may generate a bruxismlikelihood score which indicates the likelihood that the occupant hasbruxism. In at least some embodiments, this score may be expressed as aprobability. In some embodiments, if the bruxism likelihood scoreexceeds a threshold, then the processor may determine that an occupanthas bruxism.

In some embodiments, other information may also be used by the processorto detect sleep bruxism. For example, in some embodiments, the processormay determine a bruxism risk level associated with an occupant and mayuse the bruxism risk level when detecting sleep bruxism. The bruxismrisk level may, for example, be determined by the processor based on onemore occupant characteristics defined in a user profile for theoccupant. The user profile may be input to the sleep system 100 and/oran associated device (such as a mobile device) using an input interfacesuch as a keyboard. After this information is input, it may be stored inmemory 372 associated with the sleep system or device. By way ofexample, in some embodiments, the user profile may indicate whether anoccupant complains of jaw pain. In some embodiments, when the occupantcomplains of jaw pain, the bruxism risk level is greater than if theoccupant did not complain of jaw pain. When the occupant complains ofjaw pain, the bruxism likelihood score may be increased by theprocessor; for example, the bruxism likelihood score may be increased by30% in some embodiments. In some embodiments, a threshold used to detectbruxism may be adjusted by the processor based on the bruxism risklevel. For example, the threshold may be reduced when the occupantcomplains of jaw pain so that bruxism is more easily detected for suchan occupant.

Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome Detection

In at least some embodiments, the one or more processor(s) may beconfigured to detect delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS). DSPS, whichmay also be referred to as delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD) ordelayed sleep-phase type (DSPT) is a sleep disorder which affects thetiming of a person's sleep. More particularly, people with DSPS oftenrequire a relatively large period of time to fall asleep and they oftenhave difficulty waking up in the morning.

In at least some embodiments, DSPS may be detected at step 904 of themethod 900 of FIG. 9 by one or more processors associated with the sleepsystem 100 based on sleep onset latency for an occupant. A method 500for determining sleep onset latency is described in greater detail abovewith reference to FIG. 5 and, in particular, with reference to step 508.

In at least some embodiments, sleep onset latency may be compared (at904 of the method 900 of FIG. 9) to a predetermined threshold todetermine whether the occupant has DSPS. The predetermined threshold mayeffectively indicate a sleep onset latency which is considered too long.In some embodiments, if the threshold is exceeded (i.e. if it takes toolong for the occupant to fall asleep), then the processor may determinethat occupant may have DSPS. In at least some embodiments, the processormay quantify the likelihood that the occupant has DSPS based on thesleep onset latency. For example, the likelihood that the occupant hasDSPS may be expressed as a probability.

In some embodiments, the processor may be configured to determine thatthe occupant has DSPS if the occupant experiences a sleep onset latencywhich is too long for at least a predetermined number of days and/ornights. In some embodiments, the processor may be configured todetermine that the occupant has DSPS if the occupant experiences a sleeponset latency which is too long for at least a predetermined number ofconsecutive sleeps. That is, when the processor detects that the sleeponset latency exceeds a threshold, it may initiate a counter whichcounts the number of consecutive sleeps having excessive sleep onsetlatency. This counter may be incremented for each subsequent sleephaving excessive sleep onset latency and may, in some embodiments, bereset after a sleep without excessive sleep onset latency. When thecounter reaches a threshold, the processor may determine that theoccupant has DSPS.

The processor may also, in at least some embodiments, consider the timewhen an occupant went to bed and/or the time when the occupant woke upwhen detecting DSPS. DSPS sufferers tend to go to bed late and wake uplate.

In at least some embodiments, the ASPS detection may be performed basedon the time of day when an occupant went to bed, fell asleep, woke upand/or got out of bed. As noted in the discussion of FIG. 3 above, insome embodiments, the sleep system 100 may include timing circuitry ortiming components which are configured to track the time of day and/orthe date. That is, in at least some embodiments, the sleep system mayinclude a clock. The clock may be associated with one or more of theprocessors and may, in at least some embodiments, be provided on one ormore of the processors. The processor may use timing informationobtained from the clock to detect DSPS. More particularly, the timinginformation may be used to track when an occupant went to bed, fellasleep, woke up and/or got out of bed. Techniques of identifying when anoccupant went to bed, fell asleep and woke up were described above withreference to the method 500 of FIG. 5. The sleep system may identifywhen an occupant got up from bed using a technique that operates inreverse to the technique for identifying when the occupant went to bed.For example, when a reading on the force sensors changes from a statewhere at least one of the force sensors in a sensor set 150, 152 isreading a relatively large amount of force to a state when none of theforce sensors in that same sensor set 150, 152 are reading a relativelylarge amount of force, then the processor may determine that an occupanthas gotten up from bed.

In some embodiments, temperature readings from a body temperature sensormay be used to detect when an occupant has gotten up from bed. Moreparticularly, the processor may detect a decline in temperature sensoras the readings adjust from representing a body temperature torepresenting a room temperature. The processor may interpret suchdeclines in temperature readings obtained from a body temperature sensor122 as an indication that an occupant is or may have gotten up from bed.

In some embodiments, the processor may detect when an occupant has goneto bed based on data from one or more of the force sensors 120 a-120 hin a sensor set 150, 152. Then the processor may determine the time whenthe occupant went to bed using the clock associated with the processor.The processor may compare the time when the occupant went to bed to apredetermined threshold and may determine that the occupant went to bedlate if the time when the occupant went to bed is greater than apredetermined time threshold. Otherwise (i.e. if the time when theoccupant went to bed is less than the time threshold), then theprocessor may determine that the occupant did not go to bed late. Theprocessor may interpret the occupant going to bed late as an indicationthat the occupant may have DSPS.

In some embodiments, to detect DSPS, the processor may also monitor whenthe occupant wakes up. This may be done, for example, by monitoringwhether the occupant is asleep or awake in the manner described abovewith reference to FIG. 5. The processor may compare the time when theoccupant woke up to another predetermined time threshold to determinewhether the occupant has woken up late. When the time when the occupantwoke up is greater than this threshold, then the processor may determinethat the occupant has woken up late. When the time when the occupantwoke up is less than this threshold, then the processor may determinethat the occupant has not woken up late.

In response to determining that the occupant has went to bed late andwoken up late, the processor may increment a counter. In someembodiments, the counter tracks the number of days that the occupantwent to bed late and got up late. In some embodiments, the countertracks the number of consecutive sleeps that the occupant went to bedlate and got up late (i.e. the number of consecutive times that theoccupant was sleeping in the mattress and went to bed late and woke uplate). This counter may be reset in some embodiments when apredetermined trigger is detected. This trigger may, for example, occurwhen an occupant has gone to bed early or at a normal time (which may bedetermined based on a threshold) for a predetermined number of nightsand/or has gotten up early for at least a predetermined number ofnights.

In at least some embodiments, the processor may determine that anoccupant has DSPS by comparing the counter to one or more predeterminedcount thresholds. If the counter exceeds the threshold, DSPS may bedetected.

In at least some embodiments, sleep onset latency may be used by theprocessor together with at least one of the time when a user went tobed, fell asleep, woke up and/or went to bed, to detect DSPS.

In at least some embodiments, the processor may also consider sleepquality when determining whether an occupant has DSPS. Sleep qualitymay, for example, be determined based on the number of times theoccupant wakes up during their sleep session and/or the amount of timeelapsed between when the occupant falls asleep and when they wake up. Alower number of wakeups results in a higher sleep quality. In at leastsome embodiments, since high sleep onset latency may be an indicator forboth DSPS and insomnia, the processor may be configured to distinguishbetween these two conditions based on the sleep quality. Insomniasufferers tend to have a low sleep quality, but DSPS sufferers do nottend to have a low sleep quality. Thus, a measure of the sleep qualitymay be compared to one or more predetermined thresholds to determinewhether an occupant has or is likely to have DSPS and/or whether theoccupant has or is likely to have insomnia.

In at least some embodiments, the techniques for detecting DSPSdescribed above may be used by one or more of the processors to generatea DSPS likelihood score which indicates the likelihood that the occupanthas DSPS. In at least some embodiments, this DSPS likelihood score maybe expressed as a probability. In some embodiments, the probability maybe based on the number of consecutive sleeps during which the occupantexperienced excessive sleep onset latency. For example, when the numberof consecutive sleeps with excessive sleep onset latency reaches a firstpredetermined threshold, then the processor may determine that thelikelihood of DSPS is at a first level (e.g. 60%). When the number ofconsecutive sleeps with excessive sleep onset latency reaches a secondpredetermined threshold, then the processor may determine that thelikelihood of DSPS is at a second level (e.g. 70%). A greater number ofthresholds may be used in other embodiments.

Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome Detection

In at least some embodiments, the one or more processor(s) may beconfigured to detect advanced sleep phase syndrome (ASPS). ASPS, whichmay also be referred to as advanced sleep phase disorder (ASPD) oradvanced sleep phase type (ASPT), is a sleep disorder in which a personfeels very sleepy and goes to bed during the early evening and wakes upvery early in the morning.

In at least some embodiments, ASPS may be detected at step 904 of themethod 900 of FIG. 9 by one or more processors associated with the sleepsystem 100. In at least some embodiments, the ASPS detection may beperformed based on the time of day when an occupant went to bed, fellasleep, woke up and/or got out of bed.

As noted in the discussion of FIG. 3 above and in the discussion of DSPSdetection, in some embodiments, the sleep system 100 may include timingcircuitry or timing components which allow a processor to identify atime when an occupant went to bed, fell asleep and woke up. Techniquesfor identifying when the occupant went to bed, fell asleep and woke upwere described above with reference to FIG. 5 and techniques foridentifying when an occupant got up from bed were described withreference to the DSPS detection described above.

In some embodiments, the processor may detect when an occupant has goneto bed based on data from one or more of the force sensors 120 a-120 hin a sensor set 150, 152. Then the processor may determine the time whenthe occupant went to bed using the clock associated with the processor.The processor may compare the time when the occupant went to bed to apredetermined threshold and may determine that the occupant went to bedearly if the time when the occupant went to bed is less than apredetermined time threshold. Otherwise (i.e. if the time when theoccupant went to bed is greater than the time threshold), then theprocessor may determine that the occupant did not go to bed early. Insome embodiments, the time threshold may be in the range of 6 to 8 pm.The processor may interpret the occupant going to bed early as anindication that the occupant may have ASPS.

In some embodiments, to detect ASPS, the processor may also monitor whenthe occupant wakes up. This may be done, for example, by monitoringwhether the occupant is asleep or awake in the manner described abovewith reference to FIG. 5. The processor may compare the time when theoccupant woke up to another predetermined time threshold to determinewhether the occupant has woken up early. When the time when the occupantwoke up is less than this threshold, then the processor may determinethat the occupant has woken up early. When the time when the occupantwoke up is greater than this threshold, then the processor may determinethat the occupant has not woken up early.

In response to determining that the occupant has went to bed early andwoken up early, the processor may increment a counter. In someembodiments, the counter tracks the number of days that the occupantwent to bed early and got up early. In some embodiments, the countertracks the number of consecutive sleeps that the occupant went to bedearly and got up early (i.e. the number of consecutive times that theoccupant was sleeping in the mattress and went to bed early and woke upearly). This counter may be reset in some embodiments when apredetermined trigger is detected. This trigger may, for example, occurwhen an occupant has gone to bed late or at a normal time (which may bedetermined based on a threshold) for a predetermined number of nightsand/or has gotten up late for at least a predetermined number of nights.

In at least some embodiments, the processor may determine that anoccupant has ASPS by comparing the counter to one or more predeterminedcount thresholds. If the counter exceeds the threshold, ASPS may bedetected.

In some embodiments, the processor may consider other informationinstead of or in addition to the time when an occupant went to bed orgot up from bed. For example, in some embodiments, the processor maydetermine an awake latency based on data from one or more of the forcesensors. The awake latency represents the elapsed time between when anoccupant woke up and when they got up from the mattress. That is, theawake latency indicates the time when the occupant remained in bed awakeafter a sleep period. In at least some embodiments, the awake latencymay be compared by the processor to one or more thresholds to determinewhether the awake latency is too long. In at least some embodiments, thedetermination of whether an occupant has ASPS is based on the awakelatency. A long awake latency may, therefore, be interpreted by theprocessor as an indication that an occupant has or is likely to haveASPS.

In at least some embodiments, the techniques for detecting ASPSdescribed above may be used by one or more of the processors to generatean ASPS likelihood score which indicates the likelihood that theoccupant has ASPS. In at least some embodiments, this ASPS likelihoodscore may be expressed as a probability. In some embodiments, theprobability may be based on the number of consecutive sleeps duringwhich the occupant has gone to bed early and/or woken up early. Forexample, when the number of consecutive sleeps during which the occupanthas gone to bed early and/or woken up early reaches a firstpredetermined threshold, then the processor may determine that thelikelihood of ASPS is at a first level (e.g. 60%). When the number ofconsecutive sleeps during which the occupant has gone to bed earlyand/or woken up early reaches a second predetermined threshold, then theprocessor may determine that the likelihood of ASPS is at a second level(e.g. 70%). A greater number of thresholds may be used in otherembodiments.

Periodic Limb Movement Disorder

In at least some embodiments, the one or more processor(s) may beconfigured to detect periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD). PLMD is asleep disorder in which a person moves limbs involuntarily during sleep.

In at least some embodiments, PLMD may be detected at step 904 of themethod 900 of FIG. 9 by one or more processors associated with the sleepsystem 100. In at least some embodiments, the PLMD detection may beperformed by monitoring movements in a leg region of the mattress 101.The leg region of the mattress is a region which is associated with anoccupant's legs. Accordingly, in at least some embodiments, lower bodyforce sensors 120 g, 120 h may be used to detect PLMD. That is, theprocessor may monitor for movement in the leg region of the mattress bymonitoring the lower body force sensors 120 g, 120 h. The processor mayquantify leg movement based on readings obtained from the lower bodyforce sensors 120 g, 120 h. More particularly, the processor maydetermine a measure of leg movement based on data from one or more forcesensors that are located in the leg region (i.e. from the lower bodyforce sensors 120 g, 120 h) and may detect PLMD based on the measure ofleg movement.

In some embodiments, the measure of leg movement may be a measure of theaverage number of leg movements over a predetermined period of time(e.g. movements per hour). If the average number of leg movementsexceeds a predetermined threshold, then the processor may determine thatthe occupant has or is likely to have PLMD. Movements may be detected inthe manner described above with reference to 404 of FIG. 4.

PLMD movements often occur in NREM stage 1 sleep. Accordingly, in atleast some embodiments, the processor may only consider movements of thelegs that are observed during NREM stage 1 sleep when monitoring forPLMD. That is, movements which occur during a waking period, during REMsleep, during NREM stage 2 sleep or during NREM stage 3 sleep may bedisregarded when detecting PLMD. Methods of identifying sleep stage aredescribed in detail above with reference to FIG. 5.

In at least some embodiments, the techniques for detecting PLMDdescribed above may be used by one or more of the processors to generatea PLMD likelihood score which indicates the likelihood that the occupanthas PLMD. In at least some embodiments, this PLMD likelihood score maybe expressed as a probability. In some embodiments, the probability maybe based on the average number of leg movements during a predeterminedperiod of time. For example, when the average number of leg movementsreaches a first predetermined threshold, then the processor maydetermine that the likelihood of PLMD is at a first level (e.g. 60%).When the average number of leg movements reaches a second predeterminedthreshold, then the processor may determine that the likelihood of PLMDis at a second level (e.g. 70%). A greater number of thresholds may beused in other embodiments.

Sleep Walking Detection

In at least some embodiments, the one or more processor(s) may beconfigured to detect sleep walking. Sleep walking is a sleep disorderwhere a sleeping person performs activities that are usually performedduring a full state of consciousness.

In at least some embodiments, sleep walking may be detected at step 904of the method 900 of FIG. 9 by one or more processors associated withthe sleep system 100. In at least some embodiments, the sleep walkingdetection may be performed based on the time of day when an occupant gotout of bed.

As noted in the discussion of FIG. 3 above, in some embodiments, thesleep system 100 may include timing circuitry or timing components whichare configured to track the time of day and/or the date. That is, in atleast some embodiments, the sleep system may include a clock. The clockmay be associated with one or more of the processors and may, in atleast some embodiments, be provided on one or more of the processors.The processor may use timing information obtained from the clock totrack when an occupant got out of bed. Techniques of identifying when anoccupant got out of bed are described in greater detail above in thediscussion of detection of ASPS and these same techniques may be usedfor detecting when an occupant has gotten out of bed in order to detectsleep walking.

In some embodiments, the processor may log information (i.e. may storedata in memory) indicating the times when an occupant got out of bed. Inat least some embodiments, these times may later be presented to a uservia a display and the user may indicate whether they recall getting outof bed at the indicated times. If the user does not recall at least apredetermined number of instances where they got out of bed, then theprocessor may determine that the user is likely to suffer from sleepwalking.

In at least some embodiments, the techniques for detecting sleep walkingdescribed above may be used by one or more of the processors to generatea sleep walking likelihood score which indicates the likelihood that theoccupant is a sleep walker. In at least some embodiments, this sleepwalking likelihood score may be expressed as a probability.

Sleep Talking Detection

In at least some embodiments, the one or more processor(s) may beconfigured to detect sleep talking. Sleep talking occurs when a persontalks aloud while asleep.

In at least some embodiments, sleep talking may be detected at step 904of the method 900 of FIG. 9 by one or more processors associated withthe sleep system 100. In at least some embodiments, sound may be used bya processor to detect sleep talking. More particularly, in at least someembodiments, an electrical signal (which may be referred to as an audiosignal) representing received sound waves may be generated by amicrophone 334 associated with the sleep system 100. Based on thiselectrical signal, a processor may determine whether an occupant talksin their sleep. In at least some embodiments, a frequency-based analysismay be performed on the audio signal to determine whether the audiosignal includes sound associated with a human voice. Typically, humansspeak at a frequency of 300 to 3500 Hz. In at least some embodiments, indetecting sleep talking, the processor may determine whether the audiosignal includes sound at a frequency associated with a human voice.

Based on the audio-analysis, the processor may generate a sleep talkinglikelihood score which indicates the likelihood that the occupant talksin their sleep. In at least some embodiments, this score may beexpressed as a probability. In some embodiments, if the sleep talkinglikelihood score exceeds a threshold, then the processor may determinethat an occupant talks in their sleep.

In some embodiments, audio may be recorded in memory (for example, in abuffer) and audio containing sleep talking events may be recorded in amore permanent memory to allow a user to later listen to their sleeptalking session. Playback may be provided either through a speakerassociated with the sleep system 100 or on a speaker on a mobile device1200 (FIG. 12) or on a client device accessing a web server 1300 (FIG.13).

Bedwetting Detection

In at least some embodiments, the one or more processors may beconfigured to detect bedwetting, which may also be referred to asnocturnal enuresis or nighttime urinary incontinence. This is acondition in which a person urinates in bed.

In at least some embodiments, bedwetting may be detected at step 904 ofthe method 900 of FIG. 9 by one or more processors associated with thesleep system 100. In at least some embodiments, sound may be used by aprocessor to detect bed wetting. More particularly, in at least someembodiments, an electrical signal representing a humidity level may begenerated by a body humidity sensor 124. In some such embodiments, theprocessor may compare the humidity level obtained from the body humiditysensor 124 to one or more predetermined thresholds to detect bedwetting.In some embodiments, when the humidity level exceeds one of thethresholds, then the processor may determine that bedwetting hasoccurred.

In at least some embodiments, the processor may also consider whetherthe occupant is in the bed and/or whether the occupant is asleep whendetermining bedwetting. Methods for detecting presence of an occupant(i.e. whether the occupant is in the bed) and whether the occupant isasleep are described in greater detail with reference to FIG. 5.Excessive humidity occurring when an occupant is not in bed and/or isnot asleep may be caused by another source, apart from bedwetting.Accordingly, in at least some embodiments, such humidity readings areignored by the processor when detecting bedwetting.

The processor may, in some embodiments, generate a bedwetting likelihoodscore which indicates the likelihood that the occupant wets the bed. Inat least some embodiments, this score may be expressed as a probability.In some embodiments, if the bedwetting likelihood score exceeds athreshold, then the processor may determine that an occupant is abed-wetter.

Sleep Score Determination

As noted above, in at least some embodiments, one or more processorsassociated with the sleep system 100 may be configured to determinesleep state information associated with one or more occupants of thesleep system 100. In at least some embodiments, this sleep stateinformation may include one or more sleep scores. The sleep score may,for example, quantify the quality, efficiency and/or consistency of anoccupant's sleep. Methods of determining sleep scores, such as a sleepefficiency score and/or a sleep consistency score, will now bediscussed.

Sleep Efficiency Score

In at least some embodiments, one or more processors associated with thesleep system 100 may be configured to determine a sleep efficiencyscore. The sleep efficiency score provides a quantitative measure ofquality and/or efficiency of sleep during a sleeping period. In someembodiments, this sleeping period may be a single night. That is, thesleep efficiency score may provide a quantitative measure of sleepquality during a single night of sleep. Thus, the metrics and measuresdescribed below may, in at least some embodiments, be determined basedon data obtained during a single night's sleep.

The sleep efficiency score may be determined, by the processor, based onone or more of: the sleep onset latency, a subjective sleep qualitymetric, a sleep duration, a sleep efficiency metric, a number of sleepdisturbances, an amount of time in a REM stage, and/or an amount of timein a deep sleep. In some embodiments, the sleep efficiency score may bedetermined as a weighted average of two or more of these metrics andmeasures.

The sleep onset latency is a measure of the difference between the timewhen an occupant attempted to fall asleep and the time when thatoccupant fell asleep. Methods of determining sleep onset latency aredescribed with reference to 508 of FIG. 5.

Subjective sleep quality may, in at least some embodiments, be input bya user via an input interface associated with the sleep system and/or amobile device associated with the sleep system. For example, a user maybe presented with a prompt (which may be displayed on a display) to ratetheir sleep. Based on the input received from the user, the subjectivesleep quality may be quantified.

Sleep duration may be determined by the processor and is a measure ofthe total amount of time that an occupant spent sleeping. That is, sleepduration is the amount of time that elapsed between the time when theoccupant fell asleep and the time when the occupant woke up. Techniquesfor identifying when the occupant fell asleep and woke up are describedabove.

The sleep efficiency metric is also determined by the processor and maybe based on the total amount of time that the occupant was in bed andthe amount of time that the occupant spent sleeping. For example, thesleep efficiency metric may be the percentage of time in the bed thatwas spent sleeping. By way of example, in some embodiments, theprocessor may calculate the sleep efficiency metric as the dividend ofthe time spent sleeping divided by the total time in the mattress.Techniques for identifying when the occupant got into bed, fell asleep,woke up and got out of bed are described in greater detail above and thetimes associated with each of these events may be used to determine thesleep efficiency metric.

The number of sleep disturbances is a measure of the number of times anoccupant wakes up during a sleep session (e.g. during the course of anight). In at least some embodiments, a sleep disturbance may be causedby an environmental factor, such as noise in the room where the occupantis sleeping, or it may not be caused by such environmental factors andmay be part of that occupant's sleep routine (e.g. it may be caused by asleep disorder such as sleep apnea). The number of sleep disturbancesmay be tracked by incrementing a counter each time a sleep disturbanceis detected. The counter is occupant-specific. That is, sleepdisturbances may be separately tracked for each occupant.

The amount of time in REM or a metric determined based on the amount oftime in REM may also be used by the processor to determine the sleepefficiency score. The processor may determine the amount of time in REMby identifying periods in which an occupant is in the REM sleep stageand periods in which the user is not in the REM sleep stage (i.e. iseither awake or in one of the non-REM stages) using the techniquesdescribed above with reference to FIG. 5. In at least some embodiments,the processor may determine a metric which is based on the total amountof time spent in the REM sleep stage during a single sleeping period orsession (e.g. during a single night) as compared with the total amountof time spent in other sleep stages and/or the total amount of timespent in the bed. By way of example, in some embodiments, the metric maybe determined as the dividend of the total time spent in REM during asleep period divided by the total time spent in bed during the sleepperiod.

The amount of time in a deep sleep or a metric determined based on theamount of time in a deep sleep may be used by the processor to determinethe sleep efficiency score. Certain sleep stages may be considered “deepsleep” stages. In at least some embodiments, only the NREM stage 3 sleepstage is considered to be a “deep sleep” stage. The processor maydetermine the amount of time in a deep sleep by identifying such sleepstages in the manner described above with reference to FIG. 5. In atleast some embodiments, the processor may determine a metric which isbased on the total amount of time spent during deep sleep stages duringa single sleeping period or session (e.g. during a single night) ascompared with the total amount of time spent in other sleep stagesand/or the total amount of time spent in the bed. By way of example, insome embodiments, the metric may be determined as the dividend of thetotal time spent in deep sleep stages during a sleep period divided bythe total time spent in bed during the sleep period.

Accordingly, a sleep efficiency score may be determined in the mannerdescribed above. In at least some embodiments, once determined, thesleep efficiency score may be stored in memory associated with the sleepsystem 100. In some embodiments, after the sleep efficiency score isdetermined, it may be output through an output interface associated withthe sleep system 100. For example, the sleep efficiency score may bedisplayed on a display associated with the sleep system and/or anassociated mobile device 1200.

Sleep Consistency Score

In at least some embodiments, one or more processors associated with thesleep system 100 may be configured to determine a sleep consistencyscore. The sleep consistency score provides a quantitative measure ofquality and/or efficiency of sleep over an extended period of time. Insome embodiments, this period of time may be a plurality of consecutivesleep sessions, such as a plurality of consecutive nights. For example,in some embodiments, this period of time may be the last two weeks.

The sleep consistency score may be determined, by the processor, basedon one or more of: the sleep onset latency, a subjective sleep qualitymetric, a sleep duration, a sleep efficiency metric, a number of sleepdisturbances, an amount of time in a REM stage, and/or an amount of timein a deep sleep. In some embodiments, the sleep efficiency score may bedetermined as a weighted average of two or more of these metrics andmeasures.

The sleep consistency score may also, in at least some embodiments,consider the variation in the time when an occupant goes to bed and/orwakes up. That is, the time when the occupant goes to bed and/or wakesup may be tracked over several sleep sessions (e.g. several nights) andthe processor may determine a measure of the variability for one or bothof these times. This measure of variability may be used by the processorwhen generating the sleep consistency score.

These metrics are described in greater detail above with reference whenthe method for determining a sleep efficiency score was described. Thesleep consistency score differs from the sleep efficiency score in thatit considers multiple sleep sessions.

In at least some embodiments, the sleep consistency score may bedetermined by comparing data from a most recent sleep session (e.g. fromthe previous night) to data from a plurality of prior sleep sessions.For example, a moving average over a predetermined number of sleepsessions may be used to determine the variability or standard deviationof one or more of the metrics noted above over the period.

Accordingly, a sleep consistency score may be determined in the mannerdescribed above. In at least some embodiments, once determined, thesleep consistency score may be stored in memory associated with thesleep system 100. In some embodiments, after the sleep consistency scoreis determined, it may be output through an output interface associatedwith the sleep system 100. For example, the sleep consistency score maybe displayed on a display associated with the sleep system and/or anassociated mobile device.

Mattress Health Information Determination

In at least some embodiments, one or more of the processors associatedwith the sleep system 100 may be configured to determine mattress healthinformation. Mattress health information is information about the healthof the mattress 101. The mattress health information may, for example,quantify the usage of the mattress over its lifetime (i.e. sincemanufacture of the mattress), quantify the usage of the mattress since amaintenance event (such as the usage since a last flip or rotation ofthe mattress, the usage since the last vacuuming of the mattress, theusage since the last change of bedding, the usage since the lastdeodorizing and/or disinfecting of the mattress), and/or may be based onthe humidity level associated with the mattress.

In at least some embodiments, an alert may be generated based on suchmattress health information. The alert may, for example, indicate to auser that maintenance is required.

Referring now to FIG. 10, an example method 1000 for monitoring mattresshealth is illustrated in flowchart form. In at least some embodiments,one or more of the processors that are included in the sleep system 100or in a server, system or device that is coupled to the sleep system maybe configured to determine mattress health information for an occupantbased on data obtained from one or more sensors embedded within themattress 101. The one or more processors may include, for example, themain processor 117, the microprocessors 130 a, 130 b, a processorprovided on an external peripheral of the type described above, aprocessor 1217 on a mobile device 1200 connected or connectable to thesleep system 100, a processor on a remote server connectable to thesleep system 100, and/or another processor associated with the sleepsystem 100.

More particularly, one or more memories associated with the one or moreprocessors may include processor-executable instructions which, whenexecuted, configure the processor to perform the method 1000. Forexample, in some embodiments, memory 372 associated with the mainprocessor 117 may include such processor-executable instructions toconfigure the main processor 117 to perform the method 1000.

The method 1000 described below may be used to determine mattress healthinformation. At 1002, the processor obtains data from one or moresensors that are embedded within the mattress. These sensors mayinclude, for example, one or more force sensors 120 a-120 h and/or ahumidity sensor 124.

At 1004, the processor determines mattress health information based onthe data obtained from the one or more sensors.

In some embodiments, step 1004 may include a plurality of sub-stepswhich allow the processor to quantify mattress usage. That is, theprocessor may determine one or more numerical representations of theamount of usage of the mattress 101. As described above with referenceto FIG. 1, in at least some embodiments, one or more force sensors maybe embedded into the mattress and may be positioned within the mattressto sense presence of an occupant of the mattress. That is, the forcesensors are positioned so that at least one of the force sensors isengaged when an occupant is lying in the mattress 101 in a typicalsleeping position. In at least some such embodiments, the mattress usagemay be quantified based on data from one or more of the force sensors.

More particularly, the force sensors may be used to detect whether themattress is in use (at 1006). When the processor determines, based ondata from the force sensor(s) that the mattress is in use, it may trackthe amount of time which the mattress is in use. That is, the processormay detect that the mattress is in use when an occupant goes to bed(i.e. when they enter the bed). When this happens, the processor mayrecord the time when the occupant went to bed in memory associated withthe processor.

The time when an occupant went to bed is the time when the occupant laidon the mattress after having previously not been on the mattress. Asnoted above, this time may be identified by the processor based on datafrom the force sensors 120 a-120 h. That is, when an occupant goes tobed (i.e. lays on the mattress 101), the processor identifies a largeincrease in the force measured on at least some of the force sensors.Thus, the processor may determine that an occupant enters the bed whenthe force measured at a predetermined number (which may be one in someembodiments) of the force sensors 120 a-120 h exceeds a predeterminedthreshold.

In some embodiments, a further check may be performed to confirm thatthe change in force was due to an occupant entering the mattress andnot, for example, due to an object being placed on the mattress. Forexample, a temperature may be obtained from a temperature sensor 122 andcompared to a threshold to determine that an occupant has entered themattress. Furthermore, in at least some embodiments, the processor mayrequire that at least a predetermined number of force sensors areengaged (e.g. are registering forces which exceed one or morethresholds) and/or may require that specific force sensors are engagedbefore determining that an occupant has entered the mattress. Forexample, if an upper body force sensor registers a force which exceeds apredetermined threshold, but a middle body force sensor does notregister a force which exceeds a predetermined threshold, then theprocessor may determine that the occupant has not yet entered the bed;the force registered at the upper body force sensor may be caused by anobject apart from a human occupant.

The sleep system 100 (and more particularly, a processor associated withthe sleep system) may then detect that the mattress 101 is no longer inuse at 1008. More specifically, the processor detects that the occupanthas gotten up from bed. This may be detected, by the processor, using atechnique that operates in reverse to the technique for identifying whenthe occupant went to bed. For example, when a reading on the forcesensors changes from a state where at least one of the force sensors ina sensor set 150, 152 is reading a relatively large amount of force to astate when none of the force sensors in that same sensor set 150, 152are reading a relatively large amount of force, then the processor maydetermine that an occupant has gotten up from bed.

In some embodiments, temperature readings from a body temperature sensormay be used to detect when an occupant has gotten up from bed. Moreparticularly, the processor may detect a decline in temperature sensoras the readings adjust from representing a body temperature torepresenting a room temperature. The processor may interpret suchdeclines in temperature readings obtained from a body temperature sensor122 as an indication that an occupant is or may have gotten up from bed.

After detecting that an occupant has left the bed, the processor maydetermine, at 1010, the amount of time that the occupant was in the bedduring their last sleep session. That is, the processor may determinethe amount of time elapsed between when the mattress was detected to bein use and when the mattress was detected to be no longer in use.

The processor may then update (at 1012) one or more numericalrepresentations of usage stored in memory associated with the processor.For example, in some embodiments, the memory may store one or morenumerical representations of usage which indicate the usage of themattress since a last maintenance event. One such numericalrepresentation may be referred to as usage-since-maintenanceinformation. The usage-since-maintenance information indicates usage ofthe mattress since a last maintenance event of a predetermined type. Insome embodiments, the usage-since-maintenance information may indicatethe usage of the mattress since it was last flipped and/or rotated. Insome embodiments, the usage-since-maintenance information may indicatethe usage of the mattress since it was last deodorized and/ordisinfected. In some embodiments, the usage-since-maintenanceinformation indicates the usage of the mattress since it was lastvacuumed. In some embodiments, the usage-since-maintenance informationindicates the usage of the mattress since the bedding (e.g. sheets) werelast changed. The usage-since-maintenance information may indicate theusage of the mattress since other maintenance events in otherembodiments. Further, it will be appreciated that the memory may storemultiple types of usage-since-maintenance information and may separatelytrack each type of such information. For example, the memory may storeusage-since-maintenance information indicating usage since the last flipor rotation of the mattress and may store separate usage-sincemaintenance information indicating usage since the last time the beddingwas changed.

In at least some embodiments, the processor may determine newusage-since-maintenance information by adding the amount of time elapsedbetween when the mattress was detected to be in use and when themattress was detected to be no longer in use to theusage-since-maintenance information stored in memory. That is, theusage-since-maintenance stored in memory is updated to include usagefrom the most recent sleep session. The memory may then be updated tostore the new usage-since-maintenance information.

In some embodiments, the numerical representations of usage stored inmemory associated with the processor may include lifetime-usageinformation. The lifetime usage information indicates the total usage ofthe mattress since manufacture; that is, usage over the lifetime of themattress. The lifetime-usage information is, in at least someembodiments, never reset since the lifetime-usage information acts as atype of odometer to track total usage of the mattress over its life. Inat least some embodiments, after determining an amount of time thatelapsed between when the mattress was detected to be in use and when themattress was detected to no longer be in use, the processor maydetermine new lifetime-usage-information at 1010. The newlifetime-usage-information is determined by adding the amount of timeelapsed between when the mattress was detected to be in use and when themattress was detected to no longer be in use to the lifetime-usageinformation stored in memory. Then, at 1012, the processor may updatethe memory to store the new lifetime-usage information.

At 1014, an alert may be triggered based on the mattress healthinformation. For example, an alert may be triggered based on thenumerical representations of usage discussed above (i.e. theusage-since-maintenance information and/or the lifetime-usageinformation). More specifically, one or more of the numericalrepresentations of usage may be compared, by the processor, to one ormore predetermined thresholds (which may be stored in memory) and analert triggered at 1014 based on the result. For example, when athreshold is exceeded, the alert may be generated.

The alert may, for example, be generated on an output interfaceassociated with the sleep system 100, such as a display. Accordingly, inat least some embodiments, the processor is configured to output analert via an output interface in response to determining that mattressmaintenance is required.

In at least some embodiments, at 1014, usage-since-maintenanceinformation is compared to an associated predetermined threshold. In atleast some embodiments, the alert may be generated by the processor inresponse to determining that the usage-since-maintenance informationexceeds the associated predetermined threshold. The predeterminedthreshold(s) compared to the usage-since-maintenance informationrepresent time periods after which a maintenance event should beperformed. Thus, by comparing the usage-since-maintenance information toits associated threshold, the processor determines whether mattressmaintenance is required.

The thresholds that are used will depend on the nature of theusage-since-maintenance information being evaluated. For example, athreshold used to evaluate usage-since-maintenance information whichindicates the amount of use since bedding was last changed may be in therange of forty to seventy hours. Similarly, a threshold used to evaluateusage-since-maintenance information which indicates the amount of usesince a top cover of the mattress was washed may be in the range ofeighty to one hundred and thirty hours. A threshold used to evaluateusage-since-maintenance information which indicates the amount of usesince the mattress was deodorized, refreshed and/or disinfected may bein the range of forty to seventy hours. A threshold used to evaluateusage-since-maintenance information which indicates the amount of usesince the mattress was vacuumed may be in the range of two hundred totwo hundred and fifty hours. In some embodiments, the threshold used toevaluate usage-since-maintenance information which indicates the amountof use since the mattress was flipped and/or rotated may be in the rangeof one week to three months. In at least some embodiments, the thresholdused by the processor to evaluate usage-since-maintenance informationmay depend on home long the mattress has been in use over its lifetime(e.g. it may depend on the lifetime-usage information). For example, insome embodiments, certain maintenance events may be required morefrequently when the mattress is new. By way of example, more frequentflipping or rotation may be required when the mattress is new (e.g.flipping/rotation may be required weekly when new, but monthly whenolder). Similarly, in some embodiments, certain maintenance events maybe required more frequency when the mattress is old (e.g. deodorizingand/or disinfecting may be more frequent when the mattress is older).Thus, in at least some embodiments, the processor may select a thresholdto be used for evaluating usage-since-maintenance information based onthe age of the mattress (e.g. based on the lifetime-usage information).

The nature of the alert that is generated may also depend on the type ofusage-since-maintenance information which was found to exceed theassociated threshold. For example, in some embodiments, when theusage-since-maintenance information suggests that it has been too longsince the last flip and/or rotation, the alert may be a displayedmessage prompting a user to flip or rotate the mattress. The alert may,in other situations, prompt the user to: change the bedding, wash thetop cover, deodorize, refresh and/or disinfect the mattress, and/orvacuum the mattress.

Where lifetime-usage information is obtained, this information may alsobe compared, at 1014, to an associated predetermined threshold. In someembodiments, in response to determining that the lifetime-usageinformation exceeds the predetermined threshold, an associated alert maybe triggered. This alert may prompt the user to replace the mattress.

While the lifetime-usage information may not be reset,usage-since-maintenance information may be reset when the user completesan associated maintenance activity. For example, if the user changes thebedding, the usage-since-maintenance information which indicates theamount of time in which the bedding was in use may be reset. Moreparticularly, usage-since-maintenance information may be reset by theprocessor when one or more predetermined reset conditions are detected.In some embodiments, an input interface may be provided on the sleepsystem 100 or an associated mobile device to allow a user to inputinstructions. In some embodiments, one or more of the predeterminedreset conditions includes an instruction to reset specificusage-since-maintenance information. This instruction may be receivedvia the input interface. For example, a user may use the input interfaceto inform the processor that the bedding has recently been changed,which may then cause the processor to reset the usage-since-maintenanceinformation that tracks the amount of time that the bedding was in use.

In some embodiments, other reset conditions may be used. For example, insome embodiments, a flip of the mattress may be detected using the forcesensors embedded into the mattress. In yet other embodiments (not shown)the sleep system 100 may include one or more orientation or accelerationsensors which may be used, by the processor, for detecting a mattressflip. Such sensors may include, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes,magnetometers, etc.

“Flipping” the mattress and “rotating” the mattress are used herein tomean different actions. A mattress flip occurs when the side which isthe upper side changes. That is, the side of the mattress that supportsan occupant changes during a “flip” so that the side which supported theoccupant before the flip no longer supports the occupant and is,instead, closer to the floor. In contrast, during a mattress rotation,the upper side does not lose its status as the upper side. Moreparticularly, the side of the mattress which supported the occupantbefore the rotation continues to support the occupant after therotation.

It will be appreciated that at least some of the sensors described above(e.g. the force sensor, accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, etc.)may be used to detect the orientation of the mattress. For example, theprocessor may determine which of the sides is currently the “upper” sidebased on data from one or more of these sensors. Furthermore, in someembodiments, the processor may determine which of the sides is currentlya “headboard” side by analyzing data from one or more of these sensors.For example, headboard side may be determined based on the distributionof forces at the force sensors. In some embodiments, an input interfacemay be used to allow a user to specify which of the sides of themattress is a top side and/or which of the sides is a headboard side.

To allow for mattress rotation, in at least some embodiments, thesensors embedded within the mattress may have rotational symmetry. Anobject is said to have rotational symmetry if it looks the same after acertain amount of rotation. A second order rotational symmetry meansthat the object looks the same after one hundred and eighty degrees ofrotation. In a at least some embodiments, the force sensors that areembedded into the mattress and that are associated with the top side ofthe mattress are arranged to have a second order rotational symmetry toaccommodate rotation of the mattress. It will be appreciated that thearrangement of force sensors illustrated in FIG. 1 did not have suchrotational symmetry. However, the arrangement of FIG. 1 could bemodified to have such rotational symmetry; for example, by including athird and fourth sensor set in addition to the first and second sensorsets 150, 152 illustrated in the example. The third and fourth sensorsets could be arranged so that they appear one hundred and eightydegrees out of rotational alignment with the first and second sensorsets. That is, if the third and fourth sensor sets were rotated onehundred and eight degrees, they would line up with the first and secondsensor sets.

To allow for mattress flipping, sensors may be associated with both atop side of the mattress and a bottom side of the mattress. For example,force sensors may be located near the top side and other force sensorsmay be located near the bottom side. In some embodiments, thearrangement of the sensors on the top side is the same as thearrangement of the sensors on the bottom side.

As noted in the discussion of FIG. 1, in at least some embodiments, themattress may be configured for use by two occupants. In some suchembodiments, the usage information described above (such as theusage-since-maintenance information and/or the lifetime-usageinformation) may be separately tracked for each occupant. That is, usagemay be separately tracked for each of two sides of the mattress. In somesuch embodiments, the memory may store first usage-since-maintenanceinformation indicating total usage of a first side of the mattress sincea last maintenance event and second usage-since-maintenance informationindicating total usage of a second side of the mattress since the lastmaintenance event. The processor may be configured to modify the firstusage-since-maintenance information based on detected usage of the firstside of the mattress and to modify the second usage-since-maintenanceinformation based on detected usage of the second side of the mattress.In some embodiments, the processor is configured to compare both thefirst usage-since-maintenance information and the secondusage-since-maintenance information to a predetermined threshold and togenerate the alert in response to determining that any one or both ofthe first usage-since-maintenance information and the secondusage-since-maintenance information exceed the predetermined threshold.That is, if either side of the bed has been used too much since themaintenance event, then the alert may be triggered. In otherembodiments, the usage-since-maintenance and lifetime-usage informationmay not be separately tracked for each occupant.

Furthermore, other sensors may be used obtain mattress healthinformation and to generate associated alerts instead of or in additionto the force sensors. For example, in some embodiments, the sleep system100 includes a humidity sensor 124 which may be embedded in the mattressor included in a peripheral. In at least some embodiments, the processormay generate an alert based on data obtained from the humidity sensor.For example, in some embodiments, the processor is configured togenerate the alert if a humidity level obtained from the humidity sensorexceeds a threshold for at least a predetermined period of time. Thethreshold and/or the time may be selected to prevent mold growth.

Sleeping Condition Monitoring and Reporting

In at least some embodiments, one or more of the processors associatedwith the sleep system 100 may be configured to monitor sleepingconditions. More particularly, in some embodiments, the one or moreprocessors associated with the sleep system 100 may be configured todetermine sleep environment information. Sleep environment informationis information about the sleeping conditions for an occupant. The sleepenvironment information may, for example, identify and/or evaluateconditions in the room in which the sleep system 100 is located. Thesleep environment information and/or the conditions that are identifiedand/or evaluated based on the sleep environment information may, in someembodiments, be referred to as sleep hygiene information.

In at least some embodiments, an alert may be generated based on suchsleep environment information. The alert may, for example, indicate to auser that the sleep environment should be improved.

Referring now to FIG. 11, an example method 1100 for determining sleepenvironment information is illustrated in flowchart form. In at leastsome embodiments, one or more of the processors that are included in thesleep system 100 or in a server, system or device that is coupled to thesleep system may be configured to determine sleep environmentinformation for an occupant based on data obtained from one or moresensors embedded within the mattress 101 and data obtained from one ormore sensors provided in a peripheral. The one or more processors mayinclude, for example, the main processor 117, the microprocessors 130 a,130 b, a processor provided on an external peripheral of the typedescribed above, a processor on a mobile device connected or connectableto the sleep system 100, a processor on a remote server connectable tothe sleep system 100, and/or another processor associated with the sleepsystem 100.

More particularly, one or more memories associated with the one or moreprocessors may include processor-executable instructions which, whenexecuted, configure the processor to perform the method 1100. Forexample, in some embodiments, memory 372 associated with the mainprocessor 117 may include such processor-executable instructions toconfigure the main processor 117 to perform the method 1100.

The method 1100 described below may be used to determine sleepenvironment information. At 1102, the processor obtains data from one ormore sensors embedded in the mattress 101 and also from one or moresensors provided in the peripheral which is external to the mattress(i.e. from the sleep environment sensing array 306). The peripheral may,for example, be coupled with a processor embedded into the mattress 101via a wired or wireless connection.

In at least some embodiments, at 1102 data is obtained from one or moreof: the force sensors 120 a-120 h embedded in the mattress, a dustsensor provided in the peripheral, a humidity sensor provided in theperipheral (humidity readings from this sensor may indicate a roomhumidity level), a light sensor provided in the peripheral (which may beused to provide light level readings for the room in which the mattressis located), a microphone provided in the peripheral (which may be usedto provide ambient noise readings for the room in which the mattress islocated), and/or a temperature sensor provided in the peripheral (whichmay be used to provide room temperature readings for the room in whichthe mattress is located).

At 1104, the data obtained from the sensors is used to determinesleeping environment information. More particularly, the sleepingenvironment information is obtained based on the data from one or moreof the sensors embedded within the mattress and also based on data fromone or more sensors provided in the peripheral.

The data from the force sensors embedded in the mattress may be used todetermine whether an occupant is in bed and/or sleeping. Methods fordetermining whether the occupant is in bed and/or sleeping are describedin greater detail above with reference to FIG. 5 and such methods may beperformed by the processor during the method 1102 of FIG. 11. Moreparticularly, the processor may detect a sleep session based on dataobtained from the sensors embedded in the mattress. The sleep sessionmay be said to occur when an occupant is in bed in some embodiments. Inother embodiments, the sleep session may be said to occur when anoccupant is asleep.

The sleep environment information may then be obtained based on datafrom one or more sensors in the peripheral which was obtained during thesleep session. Data obtained from the peripheral when a sleep sessionwas not in progress may be discarded in at least some embodiments. Thatis, the sleep environment information may not consider data obtainedfrom one or more of the sensors in the peripheral when a sleep sessionwas not in progress.

As noted above, in at least some embodiments, the peripheral may includea dust sensor 338. In some such embodiments, the sleep environmentinformation may be determined based on dust readings from the dustsensor. In some embodiments, the sensors provided in the peripheralinclude a room humidity sensor 330 and the sleep environment informationis determined based on humidity sensor readings obtained from thehumidity sensor. In some embodiments, the sensors provided in theperipheral include a light sensor 336 and the sleep environmentinformation is determined based on light readings obtained from thelight sensor. In some embodiments, the sensors provided in theperipheral include a microphone 334 and the sleep environmentinformation may be determined based on an audio signal generated by themicrophone. In some embodiments, the sensors provided in the peripheralinclude a room temperature sensor 332 configured to detect the roomtemperature and the sleep environment information is determined based ona temperature reading obtained from the temperature sensor.

In some embodiments, the sleep environment information may be a scorewhich is determined based on data from at least two different types ofsensors provided in the peripheral. This score may be referred to as asleep environment score and it may indicate the quality of environmentalfactors (such as sound, humidity, temperature, dust, etc.) in a room inwhich the mattress is located.

In some embodiments, after determining sleep environment information,the processor may store such information in memory.

At 1106, an output may be generated on an output interface based on thesleep environment information. The output interface may, for example, bea display associated with the sleep system or a mobile device. In atleast some embodiments, the output may indicate the sleep environmentinformation. For example, the output may indicate a humidity level, dustlevel, light level, sound level, and/or temperature level in the room.

In at least some embodiments, an alert may be generated based on thesleep environment information. For example, in at least someembodiments, one or more predetermined thresholds may be used toevaluate humidity levels, dust levels, light levels, sound levels,and/or temperature levels in the room. For example, a humidity level,dust level, light level, sound level and/or temperature level which isdetermined based on data from one or more sensors in the peripheral maybe compared by the processor to one or more associated predeterminedthreshold. In at least some embodiments, the processor may generate analert if a level exceeds associated threshold (or is less than thethreshold, depending on the nature of the threshold). For example, ifthe room is not humid enough (i.e. if the humidity level is less thanthe associated threshold), an alert may be generated.

Mobile Device

As noted above, in at least some embodiments, a mobile device 1200 mayconnect to the sleep system using a wireless communication subsystem 370provided on the sleep system 100. An example of one such mobile device1200 will now be discussed with reference to FIG. 12. The mobile device1200 is illustrated in block diagram form. The mobile device 1200 may,in some embodiments, be a smartphone. In other embodiments, the mobiledevice 1200 may be a tablet computer. The mobile device 1200 may takeother forms in other embodiments.

The mobile device includes a controller which controls overall operationof the mobile device. In the example, this controller is provided by amain processor 1217. The main processor 1217 connects to various devicesubsystems such as, for example, a wireless communication subsystem1270, a display 1290, an input interface 1282, a power source 1212, acamera 1280 and/or a memory 1272. It will be appreciated that the mobiledevice 1200 will include other components that are not specificallyillustrated.

The wireless communication subsystem 1270 is used for connecting themobile device to the sleep system 100. Once connected, the mobile device1200 may send data to and receive data from the sleep system 100. Moreparticularly, the wireless communication subsystem 1270 provides forcommunications between the main processor 1271 of the mobile device andthe main processor 117 of the sleep system 100. The mobile device 1200may, for example, receive mattress health information, sleep stateinformation and/or sleep environment information from the sleep system100. In some embodiments, raw sensor data may be received from the sleepsystem 100.

The display 1290 is an output interface which is used for outputtinginformation from the mobile device. By way of example, in someembodiments, display screens may be generated on the display based onmattress health information, sleep state information and/or sleepenvironment information received from the sleep system 100.

The input interface 1282 is an input mechanism which allows a user toinput instructions to the mobile device 1200. The input interface 1282may take a variety of forms including input buttons or a touchscreendisplay.

The power source 1212 provides power to at least some of the electricalcomponents of the mobile device 1200. By way of example, in someembodiments, the power source may be a battery.

In some embodiments, a camera 1280 may be provided on the mobile device1200. The camera includes an image sensor which generates an electricalsignal responsive to received light.

The processor 1217 is associated with memory 1272. The memory may storedata and processor-executable instructions. The processor-executableinstructions may include a mattress monitoring application 1290. Themattress monitoring application 1290 may include instructions whichconfigure the main processor 1217 to perform one or more of the methodsdescribed herein or a portion thereof. More particularly, the mattressmonitoring application 1290 may analyze, process, relay and/or reportdata obtained via the wireless communication subsystem 1270 from thesleep system 100.

In some embodiments, the mattress monitoring application 1290 maytransmit a signal to a remote server based on the data obtained from thesleep system 100. For example, in some embodiments, the mobile device1200 may be used as a conduit to transmit data (such as mattress healthinformation, sleep state information, sleep environment informationand/or raw sensor data) from the sleep system 100 to the remote server.The mobile device 1200 may transmit data that is received from the sleepsystem (i.e. it may receive the data at relay it to the server) or itmay transmit data that is obtained at the mobile device 1200 based onthe data received from the sleep system 100. In some embodiments, themattress monitoring application 1290 may generate one or more display(s)based on the data obtained from the sleep system 100. For example, themattress monitoring application may generate a display screen 1500 fordisplay on the display 1290 which includes one or more sleep disorderindicators 1502 (FIG. 15) to indicate whether a user (who was anoccupant of the sleep system 100 in the past and/or who has beenregistered on the mobile device 1200 as being with the sleep system 100)has one or more sleep disorders (see FIG. 15 for an example display). Insome embodiments the sleep disorder indicator may indicate that a userhas a sleep disorder, in some embodiments it may indicate that the userdoes not have a sleep disorder, in some embodiments it may indicate thata user is likely to have a sleep disorder, in some embodiments it mayindicate that a user in unlikely to have a sleep disorder, and in someembodiment the sleep disorder indicator may quantify the likelihood ofthe user having a sleep disorder (i.e. it may display a likelihoodscore) The sleep disorders may include any of the sleep disordersdescribed above including insomnia, narcolepsy, periodic limb movementdisorder, DSPS, ASPS, sleep apnea, bruxism, sleep walking, sleeptalking, and bedwetting. Any one or more of these sleep disorders may bedetected by the mobile device 1200, by the sleep system 100 and/or by aserver 1300 (FIG. 13) in the manner described above with reference toFIG. 9. In at least some embodiments, the display screens 1500 mayprovide access to one or more tips 1504 for dealing with and/orpreventing one or more of these sleep disorders. In the example of FIG.15, the tips 1504 are provided as a selectable interface element whichmay be activated by an input interface 1282 of the mobile device 1200(e.g. a touchscreen display) to cause the processor of the mobile device1200 to generate a display screen (not shown) which includes textdescribing the tip.

In at least some embodiments, the display screen 1500 (FIG. 15) mayinclude one or more diagnostic report interface elements 1506 which maybe activated by an input interface 182 of the mobile device 1200 tocause the processor to save, print, share (e.g. by email, social mediasuch as Twitter™, on a social network such as Facebook™ etc.) a reportbased on information obtained from the sleep system 100. This reportmay, for example, specify whether the occupant has a sleep conditionand/or may detail information derived from or based on data obtainedfrom the sleep system's sensors. For example, the report may provide:information about when the occupant went to bed (i.e. entered the bed),fell asleep, woke up, got out of bed; information about the occupant'sheart rate and/or breathing rate during one or more sleep sessions;information about any sleep apnea events detected during the night;information about the amount of movements of the occupant; informationabout any wakeups during the night; information about the various sleepstages such as the amount of time spent in each sleep stage and/or thetimes when the occupant entered and/or exited each sleep stage; and/orinformation about the time(s) when a user got out of bed during a sleepsession (e.g. when they were sleepwalking). Other information may beincluded in other embodiments.

It will be appreciated that any of the display screens described belowwith reference to FIGS. 16 to 21 may include a diagnostic reportinterface element 1506 similar to what is described with reference toFIG. 15 and that the information contained in the report may depend onthe page from which the report was generated. For example, the reportmay, as appropriate, contain: information about the occupant's sleepposition(s); sleep environment information including information aboutroom temperature, room humidity, room sound, room light and/or room airquality; mattress health information such as reminders about maintenanceevents, etc.

In some embodiments, the mattress monitoring application 1290 maygenerate a display screen 1500 (FIG. 15) which includes one or moresleep position indicators 1510, 1512. The sleep position indicator(s)are generated based on sleep position information. Techniques fordetermining sleep position information are described with reference toFIG. 8 and such techniques may be performed by the mobile device 1200,by the sleep system 100 and/or by a server 1300 (FIG. 13) prior togenerating the display screen 1500. In the example of FIG. 15, a firstsleep position indicator 1510 indicates the occupant/user's most commonsleep position. A second sleep position indicator 1512 is a pressure mapwhich visually indicates the frequency that the user sleeps on variousareas of the mattress and/or the amount of force registered at variousforce sensors 120 a-120 h distributed on the mattress 101.

Referring to FIG. 16, in some embodiments, the mattress monitoringapplication 1290 may generate a display screen 1600 which provides sleepenvironment information. More particularly, one or more sleepenvironment indicators 1602, 1604, 1606, 1608, 1610, 1612 may provideinformation about the sleep environment. In the example illustrated, afirst sleep environment indicator 1602 provides an indication of a rankor scores one or more environmental factors. For example, in theexample, illustrated, the first sleep environment indicators 1602 ranksthe temperature in the room where the sleep system 100 is located. Othersleep environment indicators, which are not numbered in FIG. 16, rankthe humidity, sound, light level and/or air quality in the room.

In the example, illustrated, each of these environmental factors(temperature, humidity, sound, light level and air quality) has anassociated detailed sleep environment indicator 1604, 1606, 1608, 1610,1612 which provides additional information about these environmentalfactors. For example, these detailed sleep environment indicators maygraph the environmental factors over an extended period of time. In atleast some embodiments, the mobile device 1600 (and/or the server 1300,as will be explained in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 13)generates one or more of these sleep environment indicators 1604, 1606,1608, 1610, 1612 based only on data obtained while a sleep session wasongoing. That is, the sleep environment indicators may ignore dataobtained while the occupant was not in bed and/or data obtained whilethe occupant was not asleep. Techniques for determining whether anoccupant is in bed and/or asleep are described above. In someembodiments, data obtained during the daytime may be ignored and thesleep environment indicators may only be generated based on dataobtained at night.

In some embodiments, the mattress monitoring application 1290 mayinclude gamification features. Gamification features are features whichset goals and/or which generate awards for a user/occupant. Thegamification features are sleep-related and the awarding of awards isbased on data obtained from the sleep system 100. Accordingly, in atleast some embodiments, to implement the gamification features, themattress monitoring application 1290 may cause the processor of themobile device to determine whether predetermined sleep criteriaassociated with an award has been satisfied based on data obtained fromthe sleep system 100. If the sleep criteria associated with the awardhas been satisfied, then the processor may generate the award. In atleast some embodiments, the award 1801 (FIGS. 18 and 21) is generated ona display screen 1800 (FIG. 18), 2100 (FIG. 21).

As illustrated in FIG. 18 (and in the profile page of FIG. 21), theaward 1801 may, for example, be in the form of a digital badge or trophywhich may be displayed on a display screen displayed on the display ofthe mobile device.

The sleep criteria associated with an award may, for example, be basedon any one or more of the following factors: the time when auser/occupant went to bed, the time when a user/occupant woke up, one ormore scores such as a sleep score, a sleep environment score, a mattresshealth score, etc, one or more environmental factors such as the roomtemperature, room humidity, light level, air quality, and/or soundduring a sleep session, whether a user attends to a maintenance eventand/or the period of time elapsed between when a user was alertedregarding a maintenance event and when they indicated that themaintenance event was complied with. Other criteria may be used in otherembodiments.

In at least some embodiments, a display screen 1700, 1800 may display anoccupant/user's progress toward a goal, level, achievement and/or anaward. For example, a display screen 1702 includes a plurality ofprogress indicators 1702, 1704, 1706 which indicate the user's progresstowards one or more goals. In this example, a first progress indicator1702 indicates progress towards achieving an increased sleep efficiencylevel. This progress indicator may be generated based on a sleepefficiency score, which is described in greater detail above. The sleepefficiency score for a sleep session may be determined by the sleepsystem 100, the mobile device 1200 and/or the server 1300 (FIG. 13) andmay be added to a total sleep efficiency score that is stored in memoryand which identifies the total sleep efficiency score for prior sleepsessions. In this way a new total sleep efficiency score is obtained,and the first progress indicator 1702 is based on this new total.

In the example of FIG. 17, a second progress indicator 1704 indicatesthe user's progress towards achieving an increased sleep consistencylevel. This progress indicator may be generated based on a sleepconsistency score, which is described in greater detail above. The sleepconsistency score for a sleep session may be determined by the sleepsystem 100, the mobile device 1200 and/or the server 1300 (FIG. 13) andmay be added to a total sleep consistency score that is stored in memoryand which identifies the total sleep consistency score for prior sleepsessions. In this way a new total sleep consistency score is obtained,and the second progress indicator 1704 is based on this new total.

In the example of FIG. 17, a third progress indicator 1706 indicates theuser's progress towards achieving an increased sleep environment (akahygiene) score. This progress indicator may be generated based on asleep hygiene score, which is described in greater detail above. Thesleep hygiene score for a sleep session may be determined by the sleepsystem 100, the mobile device 1200 and/or the server 1300 (FIG. 13) andmay be added to a total sleep hygiene score that is stored in memory andwhich identifies the total sleep hygiene score for prior sleep sessions.In this way a new total sleep hygiene score is obtained, and the thirdprogress indicator 1706 is based on this new total.

Referring now to FIG. 18, a further display screen 1802 is illustratedwhich also include progress indicators 1802, 1804, 1806, 1808, 1810,1812. These additional progress indicators indicate the amount by whichthe user's progress towards a goal has changed during their most recentsleep session. In this example, first and second progress indicators1802, 1804 illustrate the amount by which a user's sleep efficiencyincreased during the last sleep session. In the case of the firstprogress indicator 1802 this is indicated relative to the prior progresstowards that goal (i.e. in sleep sessions prior to the most recent sleepsession) and in the case of the second progress indicator 1804 the mostrecent progress is indicated in an absolute sense (i.e. not relative tothe prior progress).

Similarly, third and fourth progress indicators 1806, 1808 may indicaterecent progress towards achieving an increased sleep consistency leveland fifth and sixth progress indicators 1810, 1812 may indicate recentprogress towards achieving an increased sleep environment level.

Accordingly, mattress monitoring application 1290 may, in at least someembodiments, generate one or more display screens 1700, 1800 whichprovide feedback to the user about the gamification features referred toabove.

In some embodiments, the mattress monitoring application 1290 maygenerate one or more display screens 1700, 1800 which include one ormore of: a sleep time indicator 1710 (FIG. 17), 1836 (FIG. 18)indicating the amount of time that the user slept (this may indicate thesleep time for the last sleep session (as indicated by the sleep timeindicator 1836 of FIG. 18) and/or over an extended period such as aplurality of consecutive sleep sessions (as indicated by the sleep timeindicator 1710 of FIG. 17)), a number of times awakened indicator 1712(FIG. 17) indicating the number of times that the user woke up (this mayindicate the number of wakeups for the last sleep session and/or over anextended period such as a plurality of consecutive sleep sessions), asleep efficiency indicator 1714 (FIG. 17), 1830 indicating the sleepefficiency score (this may indicate the sleep efficiency score for thelast sleep session (as indicated by the sleep efficiency indicator 1830of FIG. 18) and/or over an extended period such as a plurality ofconsecutive sleep sessions (as indicated by the sleep efficiencyindicator 1714 of FIG. 17)), a sleep onset latency indicator 1716 (FIG.17) which indicates the amount of time that it took a user to fallasleep (this may indicate the sleep onset latency for the last sleepsession and/or over an extended period such as a plurality ofconsecutive sleep sessions), a bed time indicator 1718 (FIG. 17)indicating the time at which an occupant went to bed (this may indicatethe bed time for the last sleep session and/or over an extended periodsuch as a plurality of consecutive sleep sessions), a wake timeindicator 1720 (FIG. 17) indicating the time at which an occupant wokeup (this may indicate the wakeup time for the last sleep session and/orover an extended period such as a plurality of consecutive sleepsessions), a sleep consistency indicator 1832 (FIG. 18) indicating asleep consistency score (this may indicate the sleep consistency for thelast sleep session and/or over an extended period such as a plurality ofconsecutive sleep sessions), a sleep environment (a.k.a. hygiene)indicator 1834 indicating a sleep environment score (this may indicatethe sleep environment score for the last sleep session and/or over anextended period such as a plurality of consecutive sleep sessions), aheart rate indicator (not shown) which may indicate information aboutthe occupants heart rate for the last sleep session or over an extendedperiod of time, a respiratory rate indicator (not shown) indicatinginformation about the occupant's respiration rate during the last sleepsession and/or over an extended period of time, and/or a sleep stageindicator 1838 which may indicate the times at which an occupant enteredand/or exited sleep stages. Other types of information that is describedin the detailed description above which is determined based oninformation obtained from sensors associated with the sleep system mayalso be included on display screens in other embodiments.

Techniques for determining the various information represented by thevarious indicators referred to above are described above and thesetechniques may be performed by the mobile device 1200, sleep system 100and/or server 1300 (FIG. 13) using data obtained from the sleep system.

In some embodiments, the mattress monitoring application 1290 maygenerate one or more display screens 1900 based on mattress healthinformation. Techniques for determining mattress health information aredescribed above (e.g. with reference to FIG. 10) and these techniquesmay be performed by the mobile device 1200, sleep system 100 and/orserver 1300 (FIG. 13) using data obtained from the sleep system.

In at least some embodiments, the display screen 1900 may include one ormore alerts 1902, 1904, 1906 that are triggered based on the mattresshealth information. These alerts 1902, 1904, 1906 may be generated inthe manner described above with reference to 104 of FIG. 10 and may, forexample, indicate whether a maintenance event is required. In theexample illustrated, the display includes a visual alert 1902 informingthe user that it is time to change the bedding, a visual alert 1904informing the user that it is time to refresh the mattress 1904 (whichmay indicate that the mattress should be deodorized and/or disinfected)and a visual alert 1906 informs the user that it is time to rotateand/or flip their mattress. In some embodiments, one or more indicatormay project an expected date when a maintenance event is required.

In some embodiments, a display screen 1900 may display other informationabout the mattress health. For example, usage-since-maintenanceinformation may be displayed and/or lifetime-usage information may bedisplayed. By way of example, a total usage indicator 1920 is providedon the display screen 1900 of FIG. 19 to indicate the lifetime-usageinformation. The display screens that are generated may, in someembodiments, include one or more display screens 2000 (FIG. 20) whichprovide interface elements for inputting information associated with auser profile and/or user feedback regarding a sleep session. As notedabove, user profile information may, in some embodiments, be used fordetermining a risk level associated with one or more sleep disorders(e.g. sleep apnea). In some such embodiments, a display screen 2000 maybe generated by the mattress monitoring application 1290 to allow a userto input information about the user and/or a sleep session. By way ofexample, the display screen 2000 of FIG. 20 allows a user to inputinformation relevant to a recent sleep session. This information mayinclude, for example, an overall rating of the sleep session (asdetermined by the user), an indication of whether the user consumedalcohol, exercised late, consumed caffeine, consumed food late at night,was on medication, watched television before bed, used their mobiledevice immediately before bed, felt stressed, uses a continuous positiveairway pressure (CPAC) device, etc. In at least some embodiments, themattress monitoring application 1290 may cause the processor tocorrelate such information with nights where the occupant had poor sleepquality (as reflected by the sleep quality score) and/or when theoccupant suffered from a sleep disorder. In at least some embodiments,when the results of the correlation suggest that there is a connectionbetween one of the inputted factors and the poor sleep quality or sleepdisorder, an alert may be generated (e.g. on a display of the mobiledevice 1200). This alert may, in at least some embodiments, be in theform of a suggestion or tip which suggests the user eliminate or reducethe factor which may have a causal link to the poor sleep quality or thesleep disorder.

In at least some embodiments, the mattress monitoring application 1290may generate one or more display screens 2100 (FIG. 21) which displayinformation associated with a user profile, such as a gender, age,weight, height, name, photograph, etc. associated with a user/occupant.

While the description immediately above has described an embodiment inwhich the mattress monitoring application 1290 associated with themobile device 1200 generated the display screens 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800,1900, 2000, 2100, in other embodiments, one or more of these displayscreens may be generated by a web server 1300 (FIG. 13) which sends suchdisplay screens (e.g. in the form of Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML)documents or other web-standard documents) to the mobile device 1200. AnInternet browser application which resides in memory on the mobiledevice 1200 may receive such display screens 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800,1900, 2000, 2100 and update the display 1290 accordingly. Suchembodiments will be described below with reference to FIG. 13. While asingle memory is illustrated, in practice the mobile device 1200includes a plurality of memory components of various types.

In at least some embodiments, a code reader application 1292 may beprovided in memory of the mobile device 1200. The code readerapplication 1292 includes processor-executable instructions whichconfigure the main processor 1217 to scan a machine-readable code, suchas a QR code and/or a wireless tag such as an NFC tag or RFID tag (inwhich case the mobile device may include a short range communicationsubsystem such as an NFC subsystem). For example, the code readerapplication 1292 may cause the camera 1280 to obtain an image of a code180 a, 180 b (FIG. 1) and to decode information contained in that code.In some embodiments, the code reader application may wirelessly receivethe code 180 a, 180 b from a nearby wireless tag, such as an NFC tag,and may decode information contained in the received code.

As noted in the discussion of FIG. 1 above, in some embodiments, one ormore machine readable codes 180 a, 180 b may be provided on the mattress101. In at least some such embodiments, the information contained in thecode may specify a location at which the mattress monitoring application1290 may be downloaded, unique identifying information for the mattressand/or information which identifies one of the portions 112, 114 of themattress.

Where the code specifies a location at which the mattress monitoringapplication 1290 may be downloaded, the code reader application 1292 maybe configured to cause the processor 1217 to automatically downloadand/or install the mattress monitoring application 1290 to the mobiledevice 1200.

Where the code specifies unique identifying information for themattress, the code reader application 1292 and/or the mattressmonitoring application 1290 may use this information to register themattress in a user profile for a user of the mobile device. This userprofile may be stored locally on the mobile device or may be located ona remote server.

Where the code identifies a specific side of the mattress, the codereader application 1292 and/or the mattress monitoring application 1290may use this information to register the side of the mattress in a userprofile for a user of the mobile device. As noted in the discussion ofFIG. 1 above, in some embodiments, both portions 112, 114 of themattress may include two machine-readable codes 180 a, 180 b which maybe used to associate a mobile device with a specific side of themattress. Each of these machine-readable codes is associated with aseparate portion 112, 114 of the mattress 101. For example, a first code180 a may be located at a left portion 112 of the mattress andassociated with the left portion 112 and a second code 180 b may belocated at a right portion 114 of the mattress and associated with theright portion 114. A user of a mobile device 1200 (FIG. 12) may use thecamera 1280 to scan the code 180 a, 180 b. The codes 180 a, 180 buniquely identify the mattress from other mattresses, and each of thecodes uniquely identifies the side of the mattress associated with thatcode. For example, the first code 180 a may identify the left side andthe second code 180 b may identify the right side.

In such embodiments, the code 180 a, 180 b may be used by the mobiledevice to associate the mobile device 1200 with a specific side of themattress. That is, an occupant who sleeps on the left side may scan thecode 180 a associated with the left side. In at least some embodiments,by doing so the mattress monitoring application 1290 will then beautomatically configured to obtain and/or display information obtainedfrom the sleep system about the left side of the mattress. For example,sleep state information and/or raw data generated from a first sensorset 150 located at the left side may be retrieved by the mobile devicewhich has scanned the code 180 a on the left side, but sleep stateinformation and/or raw data generated from the second sensor set 152located at the right side may not be retrieved by the mobile devicewhich has scanned the code 180 a on the left side. Accordingly, in atleast some embodiments, a mobile device 1200 may only retrieve and/ordisplay information associated with a side of the bed for which it hasscanned the associated code 180 a, 180 b.

The mobile device 1200 may include a number of components that are notillustrated in FIG. 12. By way of example, the mobile device 1200 couldinclude a number of sensors. In at least some embodiments, data obtainedfrom the sensors in the mobile device 1200 may be used in conjunctionwith data obtained from the sensors embedded into the sleep system 100.For example, one or more of the sensors in the sleeping environmentsensing array 306 (FIG. 3) may be provided on the mobile device 1200.

Server

Referring now to FIG. 13, an example server 1300 is illustrated in blockdiagram form. The server 1300 is, in at least some embodiments, a webserver which may be configured to host a website. The web server is, inat least some embodiments, configured to generate one or more displayscreens, such as the display screen(s) 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900,2000, 2100 of FIGS. 15 to 16.

The server 1300 includes a controller which controls overall operationof the server 1300. In the example, this controller is provided by amain processor 1317. The main processor 1317 connects to various devicesubsystems such as, for example, a communication subsystem 1370, aninput interface (not shown), a power source (not shown), and/or a memory1372. It will be appreciated that the server 1300 will include othercomponents that are not specifically illustrated.

The communication subsystem(s) 1370 are used for connecting the mobiledevice to other systems, servers and/or devices, such as the sleepsystem 100, the mobile device 1200 and/or another client device such asa computer. More particularly, in at least some embodiments, thecommunication subsystem(s) 370 may allow the server 1300 to receive datafrom the sleep system 100. Such data may include, for example, mattresshealth information, sleep state information and/or sleep environmentinformation. In some embodiments, raw sensor data may be received fromthe sleep system 100. Such data may, in some embodiments, be sent fromthe sleep system 100 to the server 1300 using a mobile device 1200 as aconduit. In other embodiments, the mobile device 1200 may not be used asa conduit and the data may be sent directly from the sleep system 100 tothe server 1300.

As noted above, in at least some embodiments, the server 1300 is a webserver which is configured to generate display screens in the form ofweb pages which may be provided to other devices, such as the mobiledevice 1200 of FIG. 12 or a client device of another type, such as acomputer. The web pages may be displayed via an Internet browserassociated with such devices.

Accordingly, in at least some embodiments, the server 1300 has amattress monitoring and/or reporting web application 1390 stored inmemory 1372. This application 1390 is, in at least some embodiments,configured to analyze data received from the sleep system. Moreparticularly, this application may be configured to cause the processor1317 to perform any one or more of the methods described herein toobtain information based on data obtained from sensors embedded into thesleep system 100. For example, in some embodiments, the processor mayobtain movement information in the manner described with reference toFIG. 4. In some embodiments, the processor may determine a sleep stageand/or whether an occupant is awake and/or a sleep onset or offsetlatency in the manner described with reference to FIG. 5. In someembodiments, the processor may determine a heart rate in the mannerdescribed with reference to FIG. 6 and in some embodiments a respirationrate is determined in the manner described with reference to FIG. 7.Sleep position may, in some embodiments, be determined in the mannerdescribed above with reference to FIG. 8. In some embodiments, a sleepdisorder may be detected by the processor 1317 in the manner describedwith reference to FIG. 9 and in some embodiments, mattress healthinformation is determined in the manner described above with referenceto FIG. 10. In some embodiments, sleep environment information isdetermined by the processor 1317 using techniques described withreference to FIG. 11.

Accordingly, in at least some embodiments, the server 1300 may determineat least some of the information described above. In some embodiments,the server 1300 may not, itself, determine at least some of thisinformation but may instead be provided with this information by thesleep system 100.

In at least some embodiments, the server 1300 may generate one or moreweb pages based on information obtained from the sleep system 100. Thesedisplay screens may be of the type described above with reference to themobile device 1200 of FIG. 12. That is, instead of relying on a mattressmonitoring application on the mobile device 1200 to generate thesedisplay screens 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, these displayscreens may instead be generated by the web server (i.e. by theprocessor 1317 executing the mattress monitoring and/or reporting webapplication 1390) and provided to a client device such as the mobiledevice 1200 for display via a web browser or for display via a mobileapplication. Thus, any one or more of the display screens of FIGS. 15 to21 may be generated by the server 1300.

Generating Display Screen(s)

Referring now to FIG. 14, an example method 1400 of generating a displayscreen 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100 is illustrated inflowchart form. The method 1400 may be performed by a processorassociated with the mobile device 1200 (FIG. 12) or server 1300 (FIG.13). More particularly, computer-executable instructions such as amattress monitoring/reporting web application 1390 (FIG. 13) and/or amattress monitoring application 1290 (FIG. 12), may configure anassociated processor to perform the method 1400.

At 1402, data from the sleep system 100 is received from the sleepsystem via a communication subsystem 1270, 1370. The received data maybe raw data (e.g. sensor samples) from the sleep system 100 sensors orit may be data which was previously processed, such as mattress healthinformation, sleep state information and/or sleep environmentinformation.

Optionally, in some embodiments, at 1404 the received data may beprocessed. The nature of this processing may depend on the form that thedata is received in (e.g. whether processing has already been performedon the data by another system such as the sleep system 100). Forexample, where raw data is received or where data is received that hasnot been fully processed, processing may be performed to determineinformation included in the display screen(s) 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800,1900, 2000, 2100.

Then, at 1406, a display screen 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100is generated based on either the received data or the processed data.These display screens may be of the type described above with referenceto FIG. 12 and FIGS. 15 to 21.

While the embodiments described herein have generally referred toembodiments in which sensors are embedded in a mattress, in otherembodiments, a mattress sheet or sock could be used to retrofit atraditional mattress with the components described herein. For example,the force sensors 120 a-120 h, temperature sensor 122 and/or humiditysensor 124 of FIG. 1 could instead be affixed to a mattress sheet or asock which is configured to be applied to a mattress.

Furthermore, in at least some embodiments, at least some of the sleepmonitoring functions described above may be performed automatically.That is, the sleep system 100 may perform background processes whichmonitor for an occupant's presence. Thus, a user may not have toactively turn the sleep system on or off.

The various embodiments presented above are merely examples. Variationsof the innovations described herein will be apparent to persons ofordinary skill in the art, such variations being within the intendedscope of the present application. In particular, features from one ormore of the above-described embodiments may be selected to createalternative embodiments comprised of a sub-combination of features whichmay not be explicitly described above. In addition, features from one ormore of the above-described embodiments may be selected and combined tocreate alternative embodiments comprised of a combination of featureswhich may not be explicitly described above. Features suitable for suchcombinations and sub-combinations would be readily apparent to personsskilled in the art upon review of the present application as a whole.The subject matter described herein and in the recited claims intends tocover and embrace all suitable changes in technology.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A sleep system comprising: one or moreforce sensors associated with a mattress, the force sensors beingpositioned to sense an occupant of the mattress; a memory storingcharacteristic information associated with a plurality of predeterminedsleep positions; and one or more processors coupled with the one or moreforce sensors and the memory, at least one of the processors beingconfigured to determine, by comparing the data obtained from the forcesensors to the characteristic information and based on information aboutrelative probabilities of sleep positions, a sleep position associatedwith the occupant.
 2. The sleep system of claim 1, wherein thecharacteristic information represents a force distribution pattern foreach of the plurality of sleep positions.
 3. The sleep system of claim1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured toseparately determine a sleep position for a second occupant based ondata obtained from one or more of the force sensors that are positionedto sense the second occupant.
 4. The sleep system of claim 1, whereinthe information about the relative probabilities of sleep positions isused by the one or more processors to resolve an ambiguity based on thedata obtained from the force sensors.
 5. The sleep system of claim 1,wherein the one or more processors are further configured to store thesleep position associated with the occupant in memory.
 6. The sleepsystem of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are furtherconfigured to store timing information in association with the storedsleep position.
 7. The sleep system of claim 6, wherein the timinginformation is a time when the occupant entered or exited the storedsleep position.
 8. The sleep system of claim 1, wherein at least one ofthe plurality of predetermined sleep positions is a position associatedwith sleeping on a stomach.
 9. The sleep system of claim 1, wherein atleast one of the plurality of predetermined sleep positions is selectedfrom the group that includes: a fetus position; a freefall position; alog position; a yearner position; a solider position; and a starfishposition.
 10. The sleep system of claim 1, wherein the at least one ofthe processors is provided on a mobile device.
 11. The sleep system ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one of the processors is provided on aserver.
 12. The sleep system of claim 1 wherein at least one of theplurality of predetermined sleep positions is a position associated withsleeping on a back or a position associated with sleeping on a side. 13.A sleep system comprising: one or more force sensors associated with amattress, the force sensors being positioned to sense an occupant of themattress; a memory storing characteristic information associated with aplurality of predetermined sleep positions; and one or more processorscoupled with the one or more force sensors and the memory, at least oneof the processors being configured to: determine, by comparing the dataobtained from the force sensors to the characteristic information andbased on information about relative probabilities of sleep positions, asleep position associated with the occupant; store the sleep positionassociated with the occupant and timing information in memory, thetiming information based on when the occupant entered or exited thesleep position; and determine, based on the timing information and thestored sleep position, a most common sleep position over a period oftime.
 14. The sleep system of claim 13, wherein the one or moreprocessors are further configured to store the most common sleepposition in memory.
 15. The sleep system of claim 13, wherein the one ormore processors are further configured to output the most common sleepposition via an output interface.
 16. The sleep system of claim 13,wherein at least one of the plurality of predetermined sleep positionsis a position associated with sleeping on a back or a positionassociated with sleeping on a side.
 17. The sleep system of claim 13,wherein the at least one of the processors is provided on a mobiledevice.
 18. The sleep system of claim 13, wherein the at least one ofthe processors is provided on a server.
 19. The sleep system of claim13, wherein at least one of the plurality of predetermined sleeppositions is selected from the group that includes: a fetus position; afreefall position; a log position; a yearner position; a soliderposition; and a starfish position.
 20. The sleep system of claim 13,wherein at least one of the plurality of predetermined sleep positionsis a position associated with sleeping on a stomach.